Finding Faith
by Miss Goth Mai
Summary: --Complete-- Set in Season Three. Faith never came to Sunnydale, and when Buffy dreams of Faith's death during her Cruciamentum, Buffy will stop at nothing to ensure her sister-Slayer's survival. BF --NEW: Chapter 25-- Co-written with DragonKatGal
1. Cruciamentum

Finding Faith

DISCLAIMER: So not ours.

SETTINGS: Two months after 'Helpless'.  Faith never came to Sunnydale, and Faith is two months younger than Buffy.  Faith is still in Boston with her Watcher.  Wesley is in Sunnydale working as Buffy's Watcher.  Giles is still there (cos he's beautiful and we couldn't kick him out of Sunnydale…)  Angel is a non-issue.  They're not together and have accepted that they can never be with each other ever again.

PAIRING: B/F

WRITTEN BY: Sarah (Miss Goth Mai) and Kattie (DragonGal)

ONWARDS:

CHAPTER ONE: CRUCIAMENTUM

She ran frantically through a boarded up house, the lights blown and half of the rooms locked.  There was someone -something- chasing her.  This usually wouldn't have been a problem, but today, her eighteenth birthday, it was a different story.  She knew that Slayers rarely lived past their coming of age, and she was beginning to realise why.  

She barricaded herself into an unlocked room, pressing her entire weight against the door, praying desperately to the Powers That Be to get her out of this alive.  She let out a yelp as her attacker rammed against the door, the hinges giving way.  She acted on instinct rather than on the training that her Watcher had always forced upon her.  

The door smashed inwards and she ran, reaching out her dulled senses in an effort to navigate her way around the house that she'd been told to check out, even though she wasn't at full strength.  She reached another corridor, lined with rooms, all of them locked.  

Her attacker, a vampire who she was fairly certain had been starved for a few days approached, cornering her in the tight corridor.  She backed up against the wall, her breathing now coming in short gasps.  The vampire grabbed her shoulders roughly and pulled the girl towards her, the stench of death overwhelming the exhausted girl.  With a roar, the vampire sunk her fangs into the girl's neck, tearing into her skin, and ripping out her jugular.  

For endless moments, the vampire feasted.  When the girl's breathing slowed and her heart eventually stopped, she threw her victim violently to the ground and wiped the blood from her face, sucking the excess from her fingers.  

The vampire didn't see the stake that dusted her from behind.  A woman stepped forward and looked down at the dead girl.  "Happy birthday Faith."

------------------------

Buffy shot up in bed, her heart racing, her sheets damp with sweat.  She brought a hand to touch her neck, almost able to feel the fangs that had descended into the brunette girl's neck.  She forced herself to calm down and reached towards her nightstand, grabbing her journal and flicking on the lamp.  She quickly jotted down the details of her latest dream, knowing instinctively that it had been prophetic.

Reading over the detail of the dream, she felt a sick sense of dread creep into her stomach.  She knew what she was dreaming about.  The Cruciamentum.  She'd had nightmares about her eighteenth birthday before, but none of them had been like this.  This dream hadn't been about her own birthday.  The scenes that she'd played over and over in her head had changed.  No longer was it Buffy being hunted by Kralik, it was the new Slayer being hunted by something far worse.  

She looked at the alarm clock and sighed, knowing there was no point in trying to go back to sleep.  Her alarm would be going off in twenty minutes anyway.  She stretched tiredly and rolled out of bed, stumbling towards the closet and going about her morning routine.  

She arrived at the library half an hour earlier than usual, wanting to speak to Giles about the dream she'd had before Wesley demanded that she report her dreams to him.  If Buffy was right in her theory of what her dream was about, then Buffy had no desire to share it with Wesley.

"Good morning Buffy," Giles greeted, slightly startled to see his Slayer at the library at such an early hour.

"Hey," she replied, still tired and slightly worried by the dream.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She shrugged and took a seat at the library table, curling her legs underneath her.

"Could be worse," she replied.  

Even though he was no longer her official Watcher, he couldn't help but be concerned about her.  In the last two and a half years, he'd learned to read her fairly well, and he had a vague idea of what was bothering her.

"You've been dreaming again?"

She looked at him, wondering whether or not she should be surprised that he knew what her problem was.  

"Pretty much."

"About?"

Buffy hesitated.  She knew that this wasn't a topic that she wanted to discuss with her Watcher.

"The Cruciamentum," she replied quietly.

She watched as Giles visibly stepped back as though he'd been struck.  He removed his glasses and looked away from her.  A sharp pang of guilt hit the Watcher as he was reminded of his betrayal of his Slayer.  Thoughts of the Cruciamentum tugged at old wounds as he remembered the brief but painful rift in their relationship.

"Not mine," she hastened to say.  

He looked at her curiously.  "Oh?"

"The other Slayer," Buffy explained.  "I think her Cruciamentum's coming up."

Giles wandered into his office and opened up one of Wesley's files that the new Watcher had expressly forbidden Giles to look at.  With a casualness that the Scoobies would have been proud of, the ex-Watcher read through the details of the Slayer who had been called following Kendra's death.  He walked back to where Buffy still sat and handed the file to her.

She took it from him, scanning over the information, her eyes drawn to the picture of the girl that Buffy had dreamt about.  She looked young, though Buffy knew from both the dream and the profile that she was only two months younger than herself.  Faith Christina Keller.  Born on the 25th of March 1980.  

"That's her alright," Buffy said, showing Giles the photograph.  "Her birthday's in three days."

"And your dream?" Giles asked.  "What exactly happened?"

"Standard stuff," she replied glibly.  "She was running from the vamp, she got cornered, got bit, got dead.  Then this woman steps towards her and wishes her a happy birthday.  Kinda creepy."

"I can imagine."

"I wanna help her Giles," Buffy stated.  "That whole Cruciamentum thing wasn't fun, and if she's not gonna make it, then I wanna either help her or stop it from happening."

Giles knew that Buffy's heart was in the right place, and he could understand why Buffy would want to help this girl.  Unfortunately, Council lore was deeply ingrained in Giles.  Then again, he was no longer with the Council, so technically he wouldn't have to tell her that trying to interfere in a Slayer's Cruciamentum was frowned upon. 

"The Council would not approve," Giles warned.

Buffy grinned cheekily.  "Are you trying to give me incentive to go to Boston?"

Giles couldn't help the slight chuckle that escaped his lips.  He was grateful that Buffy's loyalty to him hadn't wavered even after the Council had sent someone to replace him.  

"Are you looking for my approval?" Giles asked softly.

Buffy nodded.  "Not from a Council perspective, but…do you think I should go?"

"Well, I…the Council has always taught it's Watchers to encourage the Slayer's to follow up their prophetic dreams, so, I suppose me telling you not to go would be going against what I've been raised to," Giles said.

Buffy laughed and shook her head.  "Who knew you'd be a closet rebel," Buffy commented.  She thought about it for a moment and then scrunched up her nose.  "I guess with that whole Ripper thing you probably were a bit rebellious, huh?"

"To say the least."  
  


Buffy smiled and stood up, handing the folder back to Giles. 

"Do you think I could get a copy of this?" Buffy asked.

Giles nodded and took the folder from her, mentally noting to photocopy it before Wesley joined them for the day.  

"And, no offence to you Giles, but I don't wanna be here when Wes the Weasel turns up.  I'll see you at lunch, 'kay?"

Giles nodded and watched Buffy as she left the library, probably to go and find a patch of sunlight and soak up the warmth before she was confined to the indoor life of school.

------------------------

"You're going to Boston?" Willow whispered, her voice an octave higher than usual, squealing with excitement.

Buffy nodded, looking around to make sure no one else was paying too much attention to the conversation between herself and Willow.  

"Yeah.  I'll probably hafta leave sometime tomorrow if I want to get there.  I still have to talk mom into it of course, but…yeah, I'm gonna go."

"What about school?" Willow asked.  "Snyder won't be too happy with you leaving."  
  


Buffy sighed and hoped that her mom wasn't going to be too upset with her for wanting to take about three or four days off school to go and help someone that Buffy had never met.  

"As long as mom's okay with it, then Nazi-man can't say anything about it," Buffy replied.

Willow nodded and chewed her lower lip with worry.  

"What about Wesley?" 

Buffy just scoffed with contempt.  "I doubt he'd even notice I was gone.  I wonder what would happen if I just faked dead for four days.  Could be funny," Buffy said.

Willow rolled her eyes.  She had long ago learned that Buffy's comments about dying and being hurt were not meant to be flippant or hurtful, rather they were there for levity and a need for some sort of sanity.  

"I think he may notice you gone for four days," Willow chastised.  "He'll probably call the Council and classify you as being rogue."

"Ah, but he'd never find me though," Buffy replied.  "They wouldn't even think to look in Boston.  Then again, that Travers guy is probably gonna be in Boston to keep his creepy little eyeballs on Faith's Cruciamentum."

"Who's Faith?" asked a new voice.

Xander plopped himself between Willow and Buffy, forcing them to move down the bench or get squashed.

"The newest Slayer," Buffy replied.  "It's her eighteenth birthday on Thursday."

"Eighteen huh?" Xander replied.  "That's that cucumber test, huh?"

"Cruciamentum," Buffy corrected him with a laugh and a smile.  It was amazing how Xander could massacre any word if he wanted to.  "And yeah."

"Why do I sense a Slayer revolt on the horizon?" Xander asked.

Willow smiled at the unique phrasing that her best friend had put on the topic that she and Buffy had been discussing for the last twenty or so minutes.  

"Probably because it's imminent," Buffy replied.  She suddenly stopped and considered her choice of words.  

Willow laughed at the confused and disgusted expression on Buffy's face.  "You've been hanging out with Giles too much," Willow said.

Buffy grinned.  "At least I'll get a few days off," Buffy said.

"Woah, wait.  Why?" Xander asked.

"Wanna add a few more w's to that sentence there Xand?" Buffy asked.  "And I'm gonna go and help her.  The only problem is that she's in Boston."

"Boston…that's somewhere in the middle right?" Xander asked blankly.

Willow rolled her eyes and hit her best friend sharply on the shoulder.  Xander winced and rubbed his now painful arm.  

"It's in Massachusetts.  Nowhere near the middle."

"Oh," Xander said blankly, still not entirely clear on where it was.  He just nodded to make himself look less stupid.  "So, when do we leave?"

"We?" Buffy repeated.

Xander flashed her a boyish grin.  "We.  You didn't think we were gonna let you go alone, did you?"

Buffy sighed.  "Xand, you'll be missing a few days of school," she said.

Xander looked at her blankly, having no idea why Buffy would think that would be a problem for him.

"Yeah, so?"

"So…you're never gonna get permission to leave.  Besides, I think Snyder might get slightly suspicious if all three of us suddenly took off for four days."  
  


"Oh no, count me out," Willow said.  "I can't miss school."  
  


Buffy nodded, already having figured that Willow wouldn't have wanted to join her on her adventure to Boston.

"Xand, I'm sorry, but…this is a gonna hafta be a bit of a Slayer thing," she said, genuinely sorry that her friends wouldn't be able to join her.  She knew that the Hellmouth needed guarding, and there was no way that the town would survive if all the Scoobies decided to leave for a few days.

Xander sighed but nodded.  "I guess you'll need someone to take over patrolling for you, huh?"

Buffy nodded and gave him the best pout-and-puppy-eyes that she could conjure.  Xander gave her a sideways hug.  "Consider it done," Xander told her.

Buffy bounced in her seat, excited at the prospect of being able to get away from the hellmouth, even if it was only for a few days.

"Thanks," she said brightly.

The trio stood up as the bell sounded, signalling the beginning of another monotonous day at school.  

-----

Please review!!  Our first co-written fic.  Will be updated soonish.  Even if you're not into the whole slash thing, trust us, it ain't very explicit.  Very cute, kinda fluffy and we're damn well proud of it. ;)  

Toodles.

S&K.


	2. Dancing

CHAPTER TWO: DANCING

Convincing her mother hadn't been as hard as she thought it would be.  All Buffy had had to do was describe in detail the way that Faith had died.  Joyce had been horrified.  She'd immediately handed Buffy's passport and a credit card to her and told her to be careful.  Giles had told her that he would deal with Wesley.  All Buffy needed to worry about was finding Faith, and keeping away from Quentin Travers or any other Council members.

Buffy stepped off the plane, and nervously made her way with her one bag of luggage towards the bus depot.  She had spent the better part of the previous afternoon with Willow, poring over bus timetables to get to the right area of Boston.  

The Slayer found the right bus and found herself on the way to the hotel that was closest to the address that she'd got from the copy of Wesley's files.  She held the profile in her hands, finding herself unable to look away from the picture of Faith.

There was something strangely vulnerable about the girl, even though she looked like someone that Buffy would have been terrified of before being Called.  Buffy sighed, and hoped that she would be able to help this girl without putting Faith in danger, or offending her.

Buffy sighed and stepped off the bus as it pulled up in front of the Hotel that Buffy was staying at.  She hefted her duffle bag onto her shoulder and made her way into the reception area.  The room that she had rented, courtesy of her mom's credit card, wasn't five star, but it suited her purposes.  It was a single room with a bathroom attached to it as well as a small kitchenette.

She dumped her bags on the bed, grabbed her jacket and several of the weapons that she'd managed to smuggle aboard in her luggage that had been under the plane, and walked into the cooling night air.  She wandered the streets, surprised by how quiet it was.

Of course, the minute she'd thought it was quiet, a scream sounded, echoing in the empty air.  Buffy ran quickly, following her senses and running towards the scene of the fight.  She slowed to a step when she saw that someone had already answered the cry for help.

Buffy immediately backed into the shadows, watching as the other Slayer danced in the lethal way that all Slayers did.  Buffy found herself entranced by the way the girl moved. Buffy wondered if her friends often stood in the background, watching her fighting in the same way that she watched Faith.

The brunette girl was brutal, using no real martial arts technique, only brute strength and instinct.  She was good and Buffy found herself smiling without knowing the real reason why.  The vampire went up in a cloud of dust, and Faith brushed herself off.

She began walking away but stopped abruptly, tensing and listening hard.  Buffy stood completely still, breathing as quietly as she possibly could and keeping herself in the shadows.  After several seconds, Faith shrugged and continued walking.  Buffy could only follow at a safe distance.

------------------------

Buffy followed Faith into a nightclub that was nothing like the Bronze.  Smoke hung in the air, the smell of sweat, sex and alcohol permeating her senses.  She watched as Faith made her way to the bar and ordered a drink.  She idly wondered how Faith managed to buy alcohol when she was so clearly underage.  

Faith threw back a shot – a cowboy - and moved onto the dance floor, casually stealing another girls partner and beginning to dance sensually with him.  

The dark-haired Slayer moved against him, using her body like a weapon.  Her arms closed around his neck like a vice and linked behind his head, her face lit with a grin as she slid up and down his torso.  She uttered words that made the boy laugh and blush, but Buffy was too far away to hear what she was saying.  Suddenly Faith released her hold on his neck and spun around so her back was flush against his chest, dipping up and down, hands along his thighs.  She tossed her hair and turned her head so her cheek brushed his briefly and bit his neck.  Buffy grinned, appreciating from the shadows the irony of such a gesture from a fellow Slayer.

The boy began to reciprocate Faith's advances, his hands on her hips, beginning to slide possessively around her waist.  He leaned into her neck and started to move with the rhythm of her body.  It was at this point that Faith slipped out of his grasp and pulled his head sharply into a kiss before fluttering her fingers and disappearing into the crowd.  There, then gone.  The boy stood bewildered on the edge of the teeming mass of people, visibly trembling with lust and a great deal of anger at being left behind.

So this was Faith's style.  Buffy didn't know whether to grin or frown.  She was interrupted from her semi-stalking when a voice from next to her asked her to dance.  She looked at the man who had asked her to dance and nodded, accepting his hand as he led her out onto the dance floor.

Buffy found a spot on the dance floor so that she could keep an eye on Faith, wanting to observe the other Slayer whilst staying as inconspicuous as possible.  Her dance partner barely noticed that Buffy was paying very little attention to him.  

Faith suddenly stopped dancing and looked across the dance floor, trying to find whoever or whatever it was that was making her Slayer-senses go haywire.  The feelings she was getting were slightly different than the usual tingles she got from vampires.  

Her eyes were drawn to a small blonde girl on the other side of the room, dancing against a tall brown haired man.  Faith couldn't explain the sudden connection she felt to the girl.  It wasn't that Faith hadn't been with girls before, but she'd never been with a girl like _that_ before.  There was a certain innocence and vulnerability to the blonde girl that Faith was usually turned off by.  But Faith knew –instinctively knew- that there was something different about the girl on the dance floor.

Their eyes met, and Faith found herself completely enthralled.  She sucked in an involuntary breath and found herself moving against her newest partner in a predatory way, not for his sake, but for the blonde girl's.

Buffy found herself doing a sudden repeat of the 'mating dance' against this virtual stranger.   Without thought, the two girls moved closer to each other, their partners following them blindly.  They met in the middle of the dance floor, still looking at each other.

Without warning, they simultaneously moved away from their partners, their hands reaching out to each other.  They were oblivious to the stares of their respective partners frustrated and bewildered looks.  Buffy's partner lingered for a moment, wondering what exactly had just happened.  He saw that his partner had completely dropped him for a girl.  He turned and walked away, Faith's partner following suit after standing and watching the girls moving together for a moment longer.  He grinned and moved to a table, content to watch the two girls dance together.

The other people on the dance floor suddenly began watching the two girls, rather than concentrating on their own partners.  The boys could only watch with slack-jawed expressions, as the girls moved away in disgust and jealousy at having their partners suddenly paying them no attention.  

Buffy and Faith didn't even notice what had happened around them.  They were so caught up in the beat and the tingling sensation of being in the presence of another Slayer.  Buffy had never had enough time around Kendra to appreciate the feeling of being with another Slayer.  

For hours they danced, their Slayer stamina enabling them to continue without having to take a break. Their bodies were in tune with the music and with each other – incredibly close but never touching, except for moments when their fingers would brush and each girl would gasp a startled breath. No words passed between them, both of them relishing the mood and wanting it to remain untainted. 

Faith was suitably impressed that the blonde girl was able to keep up with her.  She'd never found anyone who could match her strengths, and she was beginning to wonder who or what this girl was.  She could feel something significant crackling in the air, and she wanted desperately to find out what it was.

Before she could move in closer to ask the girl, she felt a sharp tap on her shoulder.  She reluctantly broke away from the girl and looked at the intruder.  Her face fell as she saw her Watcher, Joanna Braidwood.  She sighed and nodded at the silent plea from her Watcher.  She turned back to her dance partner, reluctance on her face. 

Buffy nodded with regret and let her partner leave, Faith looking over her shoulder to glance once more at the blonde girl before she walked out into the cool night air.

----

Thank you for the reviews!  More please?!  ;)

S&K


	3. Injections

CHAPTER THREE: INJECTIONS

Joanna Braidwood walked silently beside her Slayer, contemplating the unusually silent girl.  At this time of night, Joanna usually couldn't get Faith to stop talking, the adrenaline and excitement of her night time pursuits making Faith rather chatty.  

"You're quiet tonight," Joanna commented softly.

Faith broke out of her reverie and looked at her Watcher blankly.  "Huh?"

Joanna laughed a little and tried to read what her Slayer was feeling.  She'd always had trouble reading Faith.  The brunette Slayer was a very private person, keeping her emotions close to her chest and never allowing anyone to use them against her as a weakness.  

"What's got you so distracted?" Joanna asked.

"Oh…uh…nothing," Faith replied vaguely, her thoughts still back in the club with the blonde girl she had danced with for the majority of the evening.

"Who is she?" 

Faith was not a person who was prone to blushing, and if Joanna's night vision were as good as Faith's, she would have noticed a slight pink tinge come over Faith's cheeks.  

"No one," Faith replied quietly.  "Just a girl."

Joanna wasn't convinced, but she knew that Faith was unlikely to share any information with her.  Faith would tell Joanna everything about the slaying, but if the Watcher tried to delve into the personal life of the Slayer, she would be told unequivocally where to go.  

"If you insist," Joanna said quietly.

Faith snapped, annoyed by the questions, as well as the unusual feelings that the blonde girl from the club had elicited in her.  She didn't even know the girls name, but Faith couldn't stop thinking about her.

"I insist!" Faith yelled.

Joanna held up her hands in a symbol of surrender. Faith sighed and put her hands in her pockets, making the rest of the trip to her Watcher's apartment in silence.

------------------------

Faith found herself staring at the ceiling for the better part of the evening when she finally managed to crawl into the bed in her room in her Watcher's apartment.  She'd slept for maybe two hours, the rest of the time spent replaying the evening again and again in her head.  She swore softly as she buried her head in her pillow, wondering why she was so badly affected by someone she didn't even know.  

She'd never given too much thought to any of her partners, even after she'd slept with them.  After four hours of dancing, Faith couldn't get the blonde girl to leave her thoughts alone.  She sighed and looked at the clock on her bedside table.  6:15am.  Her Watcher expected her to be awake by 6:45 and Faith knew that trying to get back to sleep now would be a waste of time.

She rolled out of bed and wandered downstairs into the kitchen, making herself breakfast and settling in front of the television, not caring that she was nearly eighteen and far too old to be watching re-runs of Road Runner cartoons.  

Two hours later, Joanna had Faith sitting at the table, staring intently at a large blue amethyst crystal, studying the flaw at its centre.  Faith felt her mind go completely blank and Joanna softly called her Slayer's name.  Faith didn't reply, too deeply in a trance to know what was going on around her.

Joanna reached into the drawer of the desk and pulled out a small wooden box.  She took hold of the juncture of Faith's elbow and carefully levelled and administered an injection of an organic compound into Faith's arm.  Joanna quickly replaced the box in the drawer and waved her hand in front of Faith's face, breaking the trance.

Faith blinked and looked blankly at her Watcher.  "Oh, shit sorry.  Didn't mean to space," Faith said.

Joanna smiled and shook her head.  "Not to worry.  Why don't you go and get some fresh air," she suggested.  "Go for a jog or something."

Faith nodded and quickly complied, wanting to get out of the apartment.  She hoped that a jog would help to clear her mind.

------------------------

Buffy lay awake in her hotel room, staring blindly out the window.  She didn't know what had happened the night before.  She hadn't meant to end up dancing with Faith, but now that she had, she couldn't get the other girl out of her head.  She reached for the folder with Faith's details, staring at the photo.

Somehow, meeting Faith in person had made her so much more real.  The nightmare about Faith's Cruciamentum had come once more, but it had been slightly different from the previous ones.  Instead of the dream stopping with Faith's death, the vampire had turned the brunette Slayer.  It had been even more unsettling than the previous dreams, though Buffy figured that was because she'd actually met Faith.

Buffy forced herself to get out of bed and change into something that could be worn in public.  She lazily made her way to a coffee shop and sat at a booth, staring out the window, wondering if she would see Faith again.

Faith's profile mentioned that the Slayer was no longer in school, opting to concentrate on her slaying, rather than on her studies.  After having met the girl, Buffy was fairly convinced that Faith had made that choice, not because she wanted to be a better Slayer, but because she just wasn't interested in school.

Buffy sipped her mocha latte and picked at the muffin absently, not noticing the entrance of a familiar face that had haunted her dreams for the last few evenings.

------------------------

An hour into her jog, Faith found herself tiring.  Although this was fairly nusual for the Slayer, she opted not to read too much into it.  She'd spent more time dancing than usual and hadn't got too much sleep, so she figured that her exhaustion was because of that, rather than the true reason.

She stopped, stretched out her muscles and walked into her favourite coffee shop.  She felt a familiar tingling in her soul and turned, surveying the customers of the shop.  Her eyes found the small blonde girl from the night before.  Faith smiled and accepted her coffee from the waiter who tried unsuccessfully to flirt with the girl.  

Faith slid into the booth, opposite Buffy.  The blonde looked up, startled by the intrusion.  Her eyes widened as she saw Faith.  She swallowed nervously and wondered what was about to happen.

"Morning," Faith greeted.

Buffy smiled.  "Hey."

"So…you're up early," Faith commented.  She mentally kicked herself for such an inane comment.  Buffy didn't seem to mind though.

"I could say the same to you," she replied easily.

Faith just shrugged and took a sip of her coffee. 

"You're new around here, yeah?" Faith asked.

Buffy nodded.  "Just visiting for a while," she answered.  

Faith scrunched up her nose.  She wanted nothing more than to be away from Boston.  She couldn't imagine anyone wanting to be there voluntarily.  

They sat silently, casting quick glances at each other, turning away when they accidentally caught each others gaze.  Buffy went slightly red when Faith caught her gaze and challenged her to not look away.  Buffy fought the urge to giggle and managed to keep a straight face.  Faith finally broke the silence by grinning and stealing a piece of Buffy's muffin.

"So, what's your name?"

"Buffy," the blonde girl replied.

Faith raised an eyebrow.  "No…really."

Buffy sighed and felt her blush deepen.  Faith looked at her incredulously and just laughed when Buffy didn't give her another name.

"You're serious?"

"Sadly yes," Buffy replied.  

Faith just laughed.  Even though the name wasn't what she'd been expecting the girl to be called, it suited her.

"To each their own, I guess," Faith finally replied.  "I'm Faith."

Buffy nodded and finished her muffin before Faith could steal anymore of her breakfast.  

"You're not at school?" Faith asked.

Buffy shook her head and shrugged.   "Needed a break," she replied.  

"From what?" the brunette asked, not understanding what the gentle looking blonde girl could possibly need a break from.  "Cheerleading practise?"

Buffy made a face and told herself that the mature response wouldn't involve poking out her tongue.  She managed to curb that impulse and settled for sipping her coffee to distract her immature thoughts.

"Just from life, really," Buffy replied.  "What about you?  You don't go to school?"

"Hell no," Faith replied enthusiastically.  "Dropped out a coupla months ago.  Well, I think the term was 'expelled' but I prefer my version."

Buffy grinned, wondering whether the expulsion was Slayer related.  Buffy had been expelled from two separate schools on account of on-campus slaying incidents.  

"Expelled for what?" Buffy asked curiously.

Faith hesitated.  She wondered how she was meant to explain to a complete stranger that she'd been caught breaking and entering the school grounds to follow a vampire that had been planning on hiding in the gym to cause mayhem during an interschool basketball game.  She'd managed to dust the vampire, but someone had unfortunately called the police due to the excessive amount of noise they had caused during the fight.

"Oh, y'know, just the usual random destruction of property," Faith replied vaguely.  "The principal was convinced I was a regular JD, so he booted my ass outta there."

Buffy knew instantly that there was more of a story there.  She made a mental note to ask her again when she finally revealed that she was a Slayer like Faith.  

Faith went to ask another question but was halted in mid-thought as her cell phone rang.  She sighed and reached into her back pocket, checking the caller ID.  This was the second time that Joanna had interrupted them.

"Yeah?" Faith said, bringing the phone to her ear, annoyed beyond words.  She listened as Joanna told her that she needed to come back to the apartment for training.  She rolled her eyes but knew that there was no way she could get out of it.  "Yeah, just give me ten minutes."

She hung up with saying goodbye and slammed the phone onto the table, making Buffy jump a little with the sudden impact.  

"Parents?" Buffy asked.

Faith shook her head.  "Nah, I live with a guardian.  She's usually pretty cool, but…she seems to enjoy making my life hell lately.  She's been all kinds of jump this week."

Buffy held back a grimace.  Thinking back on her own Cruciamentum, she could now remember how strange Giles had been acting the week before her eighteenth birthday.  She could only imagine that Faith's Watcher was acting similar to the way that Giles had.  It had been unnerving, and Buffy had wondered what she had done to annoy him.  Buffy wondered how close Faith was to her Watcher, knowing from her experience with Wesley and Travers that Watcher's weren't meant to be emotionally close to their Slayers.  But, if Faith's Watcher was anything like Giles, then Buffy knew that the next few days would be devastating for Faith.

Buffy could see the small track mark on Faith's inner arm and knew that the injections had already begun.  She could only hope that Faith's world wasn't about to come crashing down around her.

Faith stood and hesitated before leaving the coffee shop.  "You gonna be at the club tonight?" 

Buffy nodded and Faith turned away, trailing her hand across the table, before smiling widely at the thought of seeing Buffy again.  

----

Mega thanks for all the feedback!  Please keep it coming!

Toodles.

S&K.


	4. Poisoned

CHAPTER FOUR: POISONED

Faith found herself tiring more and more as the day continued.  She'd never felt this tired after a training session before, even after she'd pulled an all-night like she had the evening before.  Joanna casually corrected Faith's sloppy moves, acting as the concerned Watcher.  

Faith switched to target practise, aiming throwing knives at a large target.  Usually she could get all of the knives to hit the bullseye, but today she could barely even hit the board.  She frowned and put all of her concentration into the task at hand.  

"Jo, something wicked freaky is goin' on here," Faith complained.

Joanna came and stood behind her charge and observed Faith's inaccurate throws.  Faith turned to her Watcher, desperate for answers.  

"Hmmm…perhaps you're just falling ill," Joanna suggested.

Faith scowled and flopped onto the couch, her arms across her chest, looking the part of a petulant child.  

"I'm not sick."

"Maybe you've got other things on your mind," Joanna said.  "Certain…blonde people."

Faith threw a cushion at her Watcher, annoyed that she missed even though Joanna was standing only three feet away from her.  There was something seriously wrong, and Faith wanted to know what it was.

"Shut.  Up."

Joanna sat beside her Slayer, hugging the pillow that Faith had thrown.  

"This sucks," Faith complained.

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Joanna assured the girl.

Faith turned to her Watcher, her eyes wide and pleading.  "What if I'm not?"

Joanna was surprised to see the raw emotion in Faith's eyes.  She'd never seen Faith look panicked before, and it was a new and upsetting experience.  

"Maybe you should uh…forego patrolling for a while," Joanna suggested  "Take the evening off, stay home and rest."

Faith looked at her with raised eyebrows.  In the seven months that Faith had been the Slayer, Faith had never not gone out at night.  Even if she didn't go patrolling, she would always go clubbing.

"Or not."

Faith sighed deeply and stood up.

"Maybe that whole sleeping thing's not such a bad idea," she said.

Joanna nodded and watched Faith walk up the stairs, a feeling of guilt settling in her stomach.  She took several deep breaths and wandered into the kitchen, making herself a cup of tea to try and settle her nerves.  She'd been told by other Watcher's that the Cruciamentum was a trying ordeal for both Watcher and Slayer, but having to administer the test herself seemed so completely different.  She could suddenly understand Rupert Giles' reluctance to force the test on his own Slayer.

Joanna had never told Faith about Buffy.  She knew that if Faith knew that her own calling had basically been a mistake, Faith would take it fairly badly.  Instead, Joanna had reinforced the mythology of there being 'one girl in all the world'.  

She sighed and prayed to the Powers That Be that Faith would forgive her when the truth finally came out.

------------------------

Faith managed to sleep for a solid seven hours before waking to the smell of dinner.  She sat up tiredly and wiped the sleep from her eyes.  She walked over to her weapons chest and picked up her favoured sword.  It felt unusual in her hand, as though it didn't belong there.  It was heavier than she remembered it being, and after several seconds, she found she could no longer hold it steady.  She replaced it in the trunk and blinked away her tears.  She wouldn't cry dammit.

She took hold of her crossbow and aimed it carefully at the target in her room.  She breathed in slowly, trying to calm herself down.  She fired and cursed loudly when the bolt embedded itself in the wall, rather than anywhere near the large red target.  She sat down, her back to the wall, her knees pulled into her chest.

She wanted to know what was happening to her.  The thought of not being the Slayer was terrifying to her.  If she wasn't the Slayer, then she was absolutely nothing.  She had no friends, no skills other than her vampire fighting abilities, and no real plans for a future.  As a Slayer, plans for the future seemed rather pointless.  They lived fast and died young.  She had accepted that years ago when her Watcher had taken her in.

She'd lived with Joanna since just after she'd turned ten.  Faith's father had been an abusive alcoholic, and her mother hadn't been that much better.  When Joanna had turned up on the Keller's doorstep seven years ago, Faith's parents hadn't even put up that much of a fight in regards to the custody of the young Potential Slayer.  Faith had been devastated at first not wanting to leave her parents, even though she was desperately unhappy with how they treated her. Life with her parents was all she had known.

Whilst Joanna wasn't entirely affectionate towards Faith, she at least wasn't abusive towards her.  Faith had grown to enjoy life away from her parents, and now knew that she was far better off living with her Watcher.  She didn't visit her parents, but she often lurked outside their house, wincing when she heard the fighting that came from within the house.  It seemed that nothing had changed even after Faith had left.  

Faith sighed and stood up, wiping at her eyes.  She replaced the weapons in the trunk and quietly walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Feeling any better?" Joanna asked.

Faith shrugged and hoisted herself up onto the bench beside where Joanna was cutting vegetables.  Joanna gave her a disapproving look which Faith ignored as usual.  "Not feelin' any worse."

"Are you sure you should go out tonight?" She didn't want her Slayer to run into a fight and be too weak to defend herself.  She knew that that was the entire point of the Cruciamentum, but the test wouldn't come until the following evening.

"It'll be fine," Faith assured her.  "I'll just go dancing instead of patrolling."

Joanna nodded, knowing that she couldn't protest too much without giving herself away.  

"Before you go, I want you to take another look at some of those meditative crystals," Joanna said.

Faith rolled her eyes, hopped down off the bench, stole a carrot and eventually agreed.  "I don't see the point, but yeah sure."

----

Mega thanks to everyone for reviewing!  You guys rock!!

S&K 


	5. Helix

CHAPTER FIVE: HELIX

Faith made her way to The Helix slowly that night, trying to stretch her muscles out with the brisk walk. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't limber up and a pervading feeling of lethargy seemed to hang over her entire body. 

She avoided cutting through the two graveyards that were on her way to the club, deciding that a close encounter of the vampire kind would be best avoided tonight. Usually she would have enjoyed the extra workout before dancing at The Helix. It annoyed her immensely that she had to skip her usual session.

She turned the corner of the well-lit street, her Watcher's words echoing in her mind. Joanna had instructed her as she left to stay in brightly lit areas as she wasn't well, sounding more like a guidance counsellor than a Watcher. Faith kind of liked her concern though…it was weird, having someone almost care about you. The Slayers Handbook told Faith that she could only be acting out of Watcherly duty but she felt some semblance of affection for the woman that fed and housed her.

Faith nodded to the bouncer as she entered the club. He knew her face. He'd seen her arrive every night without fail, and he'd seen her leave too, towing some starry-eyed boy or leather clad girl by the hand. The bouncer knew enough of Faith's appetites to feel sorry for the regular procession of hearts that were broken in her bed.

Faith shrugged off her leather jacket and found a table to dump it under. She walked to the bar and pounded a note down on the counter.

"Vodka shot, straight up," Faith yelled above the music to the female bartender. She couldn't help checking her out as her back was turned, but straightened her face when the girl returned with the drink. 

Throwing back the shot, Faith scanned the dance floor before plunging in. She was determined to have a good time and she wondered if the blonde girl – Buffy – was here tonight as promised. She was fascinated with the connection that seemed to be building between them as it was unlike anything she had felt before. It was more than carnal, more than the deep-down tingles she'd felt with all the others. There was an un-sated ache there that Faith longed to actualise, but for the first time she was unsure how to do so.

She picked a boy to steal from a girl, in her usual manner. After five minutes of bump and grind and growing bored, she turned on the girl and led her out to the middle of the dance floor, sliding her hands around her hips. The girl giggled nervously and Faith rolled her eyes when she wasn't looking. Another insipid debutante.

She barely had time to turn away from the nervous teenager before some-one grabbed her arm possessively, almost painfully. Who-ever it happened to be was lucky she had less strength than usual, or they'd be losing several teeth very soon. She whipped around to face them, gunning for a fight.

She vaguely recognised his face but she'd be damned if she could remember his name. Considering the most interaction she had with people other than Joanna was of a more carnal and horizontal nature, she figured he was one of the long line of lonely hearts. And strangely enough, he didn't look happy.

"Faith, honey, good to see you!" 

Faith stared blankly at the random guy who somehow knew her name. Not only that but he was calling her a condiment. Now the trick was to figure out who he was and where he fit into the last couple of months of one night stands. She was fairly certain he was from at least the last two weeks but there was no way to be sure.

She stared for a moment and then decided that harassing the blushing teen would be more fun than playing the name game. She turned her back on him and grabbed the short redhead's hand, drawing her close to her body and resuming her sway to the beat.

Faith felt her body jolted back and pushed to the side as one strong shoulder shoved between the breathing-only distance that she'd established with the redhead. She mouthed the words "what-the-fuck?" and saw that Mr Random had stepped menacingly in front of her. 

"Can I help you?" Faith asked, barely covering the growing annoyance in her voice.

"Dance with me, Faith." She looked up at him, suddenly aware for the first time of how tall he was.  He stood at least a foot taller than her, his shoulders broad and muscular, the picture perfect jock that Faith had always despised.  Unfortunately, Mr Jock was far better looking than most of the other jocks, and Faith had given in, having nothing better to do.  

She was acutely conscious that if her dwindling strength continued to fade she would have little to no chance to defend herself against him.  Deciding that dancing with him seemed to be the lesser of two evils, she allowed him to take hold of her hips and pull her against him.

Two songs later, and Faith was feeling trapped.  She had to admit that it was an extremely unpleasant experience.  She pulled away from him, only to have him grab her by the wrist.

"Where are you going Faithy?" he asked, his lips brushing against her ear, sending shivers of disgust down her spine.

She tried to think of an excuse that would guarantee that he would leave her alone.

"Bathroom."

He nodded and Faith made her escape quickly.  She ducked into the girls bathroom, thankful that the line wasn't horrendously long.  She stood in front of the mirror, staring at herself, almost as though she were seeing herself for the first time.  She wondered whether Joanna had been right about her having the night off.  

She splashed water onto her face, careful not smudge her mascara.  Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and scanned the crowd, trying to make sure she had a clear path to the door to make her escape.  Not even the thought of seeing Buffy could keep her at the club, and she wanted nothing more than to be in relative safety.

She'd almost made it to the door, when someone grabbed her by the waist.

"You weren't thinking of leaving were ya?" 

Faith groaned inwardly.  She turned to face him, her anger welling up inside her.  She was sick of playing the game with him, and she wasn't going to continue.

"Listen…" she searched for a name, before giving up "guy.  Stay the fuck away from me."

She tried to wrench away from his grasp, but he held onto her tightly.

"You don't even remember my name, do you?" he asked angrily.

"Not in the strictest sense, no."

If humans could growl the way vampires did, Faith was fairly certain that Mr Random Jock Guy would have been doing so.  

"You're a fuckin tease you know that?"

Faith just smirked and tried to pull away once more.  "What's your point?"

She was on dangerous ground and she knew it, especially without her strength, but he was pissing her off, and anger very rarely made her rational.  He stepped towards her and Faith was again sharply reminded of the height and weight difference between them.  She told herself not to panic, mentally noting that girls without strength were harassed everyday and often nothing came from it.  She was, of course, trying to deny the rape statistics in this area of Boston, not wanting to even think of the possibility of that happening.

"You _really_ don't wanna do this," Faith warned.

He smirked and moved closer to her, their noses touching as he towered over her.

"You sure about that?"

She was beginning to panic now. She bucked against him, trying to get his hands away from her.  "Get off me!"

The people around them barely noticed her yells above the music coming from the speakers.  He began pulling her towards the exit, Faith using what was left of her strength to try and stay inside the club.  Just before they could reach the door, someone stopped them.  Faith saw the face of her rescuer and wondered how someone smaller than herself was going to keep the six-foot tall football player from taking her into the alley behind Helix.

"Hey, you mind if I steal your girlfriend for a dance?" Buffy asked sweetly.

The jock hesitated, glaring at Buffy, who looked even weaker than Faith.  The only problem was, he'd been counting on no one noticing him dragging Faith out of the club.  With a disgusted snort, he threw his hands into the air and stalked out of the club into the cooling night air.

Faith breathed a sigh of relief, closing her eyes as she realised she'd just had an extremely close call.  She'd always known that her one-night stands were going to come back one day and bite her on the ass.  She felt Buffy gently take her hand, almost surprised by the warmth radiating form the blonde girl.  It was then that she realised that it wasn't Buffy's temperature that was abnormal, it was her own.  Her hands were freezing cold and shaking badly.

Without a word, Buffy led her to a corner and sat her down at an empty table, waiting for Faith to regain her composure.  

"You okay?" Buffy finally asked.

Faith nodded and finally looked at her rescuer.  She didn't know whether to feel relieved or highly embarrassed.  She settled for feeling both and sat up straighter in her chair, trying to regain her pride.

"Five by five," she replied, her voice steady even though Faith was feeling more shaken than she'd ever felt in the last five years.

"I'll interpret that as good," Buffy replied.

She could tell that Faith was shaken by the experience, knew without a doubt that Faith was not used to having to deal with others that were stronger than her.  Buffy could remember only too well the helplessness that had come with the Cruciamentum.  Buffy wanted to tell Faith exactly what was going on, but she knew that it wasn't something that she could do.  

Buffy had resolved herself to keeping an eye on the other Slayer, and making sure she didn't die, but not in stopping the actual test.  Whilst she didn't agree with the test, she knew that Faith and her Watcher would be in trouble with the Council if it didn't go as planned.  All Buffy could do was make sure her nightmares didn't come true.

"You wanna go some place quieter?" Buffy offered.

Faith scowled at the girl, but Buffy chose not to take it personally. 

"I came here to dance," Faith replied sharply.  She stood and held her hand out and Buffy took it, knowing that trying to force Faith to leave the club would be the equivalent of an insult.

They stepped onto the dance floor, Faith's movements less sure than they'd been the night before.  It took her nearly three songs before she'd shaken off the terror that had surrounded her after what had nearly happened.  Buffy made sure not to watch Faith too closely, knowing that Faith was obviously trying to deal with this in her own way.  Whilst Buffy had opened up to her friends about the fear surrounding the ordeal of the Cruciamentum, the blonde Slayer was fairly certain that Faith couldn't afford that same luxury.

Giles had explained to her several times that she was the only Slayer in history who had civilians working beside her, and Buffy knew without a doubt that Faith didn't have any close friends.  Associates and fuck-buddies perhaps, but no real confidantes.  Buffy wanted to change that, knowing that it was the ties to the world that gave Slayers their reason to fight.

Faith pushed all thoughts of the evil jock out of her head, concentrating on the music and the blonde that she was dancing with.  She was somewhat surprised to feel herself relaxing in the presence of this girl whom she barely knew, but somehow it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

Her confidence returned, and she moved closer to Buffy, noticing the way the blond girl gently rested one hand in the small of Faith's back. Such a simple, gentle gesture but one that was a world apart from the usual groping that she knew. Their slim forms weren't quite in time, as Faith was still a little off balance from her previous encounter.   She noticed Buffy trying to compensate for Faith's mistakes, and Faith struggled to find the rhythm that usually came so naturally to her.  She bit the inside of her cheek and concentrated on getting the sway of her body right. Suddenly it seemed of dire consequence to get everything right around this girl.

The music raced in the air between them and finally Faith felt her desire to dance return. She was conscious of the space between them, the way their knees, hands and arms constantly touched.  Fires raced between them whenever their skin connected, all of Faith's thoughts rushing to that point, that one point where their bodies collided.  She wondered if the blonde girl felt that too, that same knot in the stomach and inability to know anything in that moment other than the feeling of their knees, touching.

It was all of these little things Faith found herself noticing; the little things that distinguished this pure and tingling sensation from the carnal ache she felt with all the others.  Buffy's hair, straight and unfettered by a band, swung behind her as she danced, smiling, occasionally closing her eyes, her hand still in the small of Faith's back.  Her hair fell over her shoulder and brushed Faith's arm, and strangely, the dark haired slayer was aware of that too. She felt every movement from Buffy's body on her own – it seemed every stretch of muscle, every exhalation was significant. 

Buffy too could feel the electricity flowing between them.  She wouldn't have been able to define it, even if her life depended on it.  All she knew was that she wanted to be closer to this girl.  She wasn't used to dancing this close to girls before.  The dancing she'd done with Willow had always been tame and no where near as sensual as this.  Buffy was keenly reminded of the dance she'd done with Xander after her emotional breakdown at the beginning of the previous school year.

Buffy could literally feel Faith relaxing as the music continued to play.  She'd felt Faith's hesitation, her awkwardness at first, but now it was as though nothing had happened between their previous evening's dance and now.  They danced together in sync, their movements perfectly timed as though they'd had a chance to choreograph their dance before hand.  

The blonde Slayer could feel the heat rising between them, unsure of what it meant, but knowing that it was significant.  She was acutely aware of the other Slayer's every move, her skin becoming overly sensitised whenever Faith's fingers brushed against her.  There was a knot of nervousness in her stomach that Buffy hadn't felt since her one night with Angel fourteen months ago.  She couldn't explain her feelings or rationalise them.  All she knew was that she wanted to continue their dance and see where it led them.

----

Much thanks to ppl for reviewing!!  Very encouraging!  
S&K.


	6. Presentability

CHAPTER SIX: PRESENTABILITY 

Neither of the Slayers realised how quickly time had passed.  Before they knew it, they were being asked to leave the closing club, and Faith couldn't help but feel disappointment at the thought of going home.  She knew that she wasn't going to get any sleep once again, although if Buffy was the subject of her thoughts, she didn't particularly mind.

They walked out of the club, their fingers brushing against each others.  Faith usually would have just grabbed her hand and dragged her to the nearest hotel room, and even though she desperately wanted to, there was something holding her back.  She didn't just want a one-night stand with this girl, and that thought scared Faith more than she would ever admit.

"So…you got plans for today?" Faith asked awkwardly.

"Beyond sleep?  Nothing really.  You?"

Faith knew that her plans consisted of the daily training session and afternoon nap that had become her normal routine over the last few months.  

"Bout the same," she replied, even though she knew that her Watcher expected her to be awake and have started training by seven in the morning.  She wanted desperately to ask Buffy to have lunch with her, but she couldn't find the words to say it.  She'd never done anything like this before.  Her usual motto of 'get some, get gone' had been thrown out the window the second she'd laid eyes on the blonde girl.

"Do you maybe wanna have lunch with me tomorrow?" Buffy asked.

Faith felt her entire world spin. She'd never been asked to lunch before.  She'd never been asked out on a date, or a casual date before.  Most people usually only wanted one thing from her, and it generally didn't include any form of food (well sometimes…) or conversation.

She opted for a casual answer so that Buffy wouldn't know how incredibly nervous she was at this point in time.  "Yeah sure.  Sounds good."

"Cool.  Are there any good places to eat around here?" Buffy asked.

Faith could barely think of her own name, let alone the name of a decent restaurant.  She tried to think of somewhere she could go that wouldn't make her look incredibly stupid, poor or tacky.

"Uh…there's this pretty good pizza place," she replied.  "Zeferelli's."

"Sounds good.  D'you wanna meet there at around 12?"

Faith just nodded, not wanting to say anything that could potentially jeopardise what was proving to be a perfect moment so far.  She only hoped that Buffy wouldn't be able to hear the hammering of her heart in her chest.  

They parted ways, Faith watching as Buffy walked down a darkened street.  The dark-haired Slayer silently wished that Buffy would make it home without being attacked, eaten, turned or all of the above.  Faith removed the stake from her boot and clutched it tightly, hoping it would offer her some sort of protection.  For the first time in the seven months of being a Slayer, she was scared of the vampires that roamed the city.

Luck was on Faith's side that evening, and she managed to make it back to the apartment without incident, not even noticing that a certain blonde someone had followed her home to ensure her safety.

------------------------

Joanna couldn't help but notice Faith's edginess.  Every few seconds, Faith would check the clock in the training room, sighing dramatically when she realised that it was no closer to twelve-thirty than it had been thirty seconds earlier.  Joanna could only wonder what had got her Slayer so on edge.  She was almost grateful for her Slayer's distracted state, knowing that Faith would have been full of questions about her sudden weakness.  

Their training continued and Joanna smirked when Faith practically jumped for joy when the clock displayed that it was 12:15.

"You don't mind if I cut this short, right?" Faith asked, racing up the stairs, not even bothering to wait for an answer.  There was no way that she was going to take no for an answer.  Nothing was stopping her from going to lunch with Buffy, not even the only authority figure that Faith had ever truly respected.

"I doubt I could stop you," Joanna called after her.

Faith smirked and rummaged through her wardrobe, looking for the perfect outfit.  She wanted something casual, but not too casual, something sexy without being slutty.  She noticed how much leather she truly owned and was somehow worried about how many cows had been sacrificed towards her wardrobe.  

She picked a simple outfit of tight denim hip-hugger jeans, a white singlet top and a half-length leather coat.  She pulled her boots onto her feet, grabbed some money from her dresser drawer and raced down the stairs.  She paused in front of Joanna and momentarily fought the urge to spin so that her Watcher could examine her outfit.

"What d'you think?"

Joanna laughed and shook her head.  "What am I meant to think?"

Faith rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to hit her Watcher.

"Do I look okay?"

"You look fine Faith," she assured her.  "Very…Faith-like."

Faith groaned and Joanna could only wonder what exactly had gotten into the girl.  She wondered if it was some sort of side-effect from the compound that was making the Slayer act so unlike herself.

"That doesn't tell me jack," Faith complained.  "Is it…y'know, decent?"

"Who are you meeting?" Joanna asked.

"Ugh, does it matter?"  Faith asked.  "I just wanna look nice.  So…do I?"

Joanna nodded and Faith could only hope that her Watcher wasn't just saying that to get rid of her.  

"Cool.  Catch you later."

"Faith, wait!" Joanna called.

Faith turned, impatience etched on her face.  "What?"

Joanna had never heard Faith whine before, and she could now officially say that Faith was basically the same as every other teenage girl.  She could have sworn that the brunette Slayer was actually pouting.

Joanna pulled out a small box from her pocket and handed it to Faith.

"What's this?"

The Watcher sighed.  "Why don't you open it and find out?"

Faith couldn't argue with that logic.  She pulled the top off the box and removed a layer of cotton before finding a silver ring with three crosses engraved into it.  She stared at it, shocked by the gesture.

"And this is for what?" Faith asked.

"Uh…your birthday," Joanna replied.

"Oh.  Oh!  Uh…wow.  Thank you."

"You're welcome." Joanna cast a look to the clock and pointed towards it.  "You're gonna be late." 

Faith looked at the clock and panicked.  She was already out the door when Joanna burst into a bout of giggles.

------------------------

Buffy sat at the table, sipping her water, trying to calm her nerves.  She had no idea what had possessed her to ask Faith to lunch, and now that she'd done so, she wasn't sure of what to expect.  She'd seen snippets of Faith's behaviour over the past two nights, and couldn't help but wonder if Faith truly felt some sort of a connection with her, or if the brown-haired Slayer was just setting her up to be another conquest.  

That thought led to more disturbing thoughts.  If Faith wasn't trying to make Buffy a notch on the head-board, what exactly would that then mean?  Buffy was fairly certain that she wasn't gay.  She'd never felt any sort of attraction towards girls before two nights ago, and it wasn't as though she was now looking at other girls the way that she'd been looking at Faith.  

She fiddled nervously with the napkin at the table, ripping off tiny squares as she waited.  She wasn't surprised that Faith was late.  She would have been more shocked if the other Slayer had been on time, and Buffy was almost glad that she'd had a little more time to compose herself.  It had been another almost sleepless night the evening before, and nearly every thought had been about Faith.  It frightened her that someone she barely knew could have such an effect on her.

She was so lost with her inner monologue that she didn't even notice Faith pull out the chair opposite her and sit down, a nervous smile on her face.  Buffy looked up, and flashed the other girl a grin.

"Hey, you made it."

"Sorry about the lateness," Faith said sheepishly, shrugging out of her jacket, and hanging it over the back of her chair.   

"No big," Buffy replied.  "You come here a lot?"

"Yeah sometimes," she said, grabbing the menu from the table and scanning the list of food.  "You didn't order without me, did you?"

"Nope.  Any recommendations?"

"Well, if you wanted to go halves on a pizza or something…"

"Sounds good.  Are you more of a sweet, savoury or spicy girl?" Buffy asked.

By nature, Faith's mind lived in the gutter, and she bit her lip to keep herself from turning Buffy's perfectly innocent question into some sort of sexual innuendo.

"Spicy," she managed to answer, somehow keeping a straight face.

Buffy hadn't missed Faith's inner monologue, and grinned at the girl.  "Why am I not surprised?"

----

Reviews are always appreciated!

S&K.


	7. Conversations With Slayers

CHAPTER SEVEN: CONVERSATIONS WITH SLAYERS

Faith was somewhat surprised by how comfortable she felt just sitting and talking with Buffy.  Their personalities were exact opposites, yet they managed to maintain casual conversation throughout lunch and well into the afternoon as they strolled through the streets of Boston.

Faith had laughed more in the last four hours than she had in the last four years, and she was finding herself enjoying it immensely.

"You seriously call yourself the Scooby Gang?" Faith asked incredulously.

Buffy grinned and nodded.  "It sounds kinda lame, but yeah.  We're pretty close," she explained.  "What about you?  What are your friends like?"

It was as though the light mood had just been doused with a bucket of ice water.  Faith's smile fell and Buffy immediately regretted the question.

"Not much to explain really," Faith replied sadly.  She'd never really wanted fiends or close acquaintances, but hearing Buffy's stories about her friends, she couldn't help but want something similar for herself.  

Being a Slayer was a lonely life, and Faith had accepted her position as the Chosen One when she'd been told that she was a Potential Slayer so seven years ago.  Even when she was younger, she'd never had any close friends, but she'd wanted them.  She'd never been accepted though.  She'd always been too different from the other people in the neighbourhood.

"I'm more of a 'get some, get gone' kinda girl," Faith explained.

"Sounds lonely," Buffy said quietly.

Faith shrugged, trying to be nonchalant about it, but Buffy could tell that she didn't particularly like the solitary life.  On a basic human level, she wanted –needed- contact with other people her own age. 

"S'worked for me so far."  She was fast becoming uncomfortable with the topic and knew she needed to find something new to discuss.  "So…what do you do?"

"Do?"

"Yeah, y'know, during the day."

"Uh, school mainly.  Hanging with my friends, annoying my mom, shopping." _Saving the world from unspeakable demons…_  "What about you?  If you're not at school, and I'm assuming by your lack of being at work, that you don't have a job, what exactly do you do with your time?"

Faith froze.  She knew there was a reason she didn't have friends.  The slaying topic would always come up one way or another, and she wasn't too sure how she would be able to explain to Buffy that her job –her calling- was her entire life.  Not to mention it was against all the rules in the Slayer's Handbook.  Friends and family were forbidden, but Faith had never been one for rule-keeping anyway.

"I'm a…kinda between jobs at the moment," she replied.  "Plus I'm getting tutored at home, so that takes up some of the day."

"Wow…your tutor must be pretty lenient," Buffy commented.  She wondered whether Faith's Watcher was anything like Giles.  She knew that Giles was considered a rebel for letting Buffy have a life away from Slaying.  It seemed that Faith's Watcher was slightly similar.  "Letting you roam free during lunch hours."

"Yeah, she's pretty cool.  And it's a pretty casual type of deal.  Just your basic five hours throughout the day," she explained.  

Buffy knew that learning the techniques of slaying was anything but 'casual' but she also knew Faith's instinctive desire to hide the Slayer portion of herself.  The blonde girl knew that talking about demons, darkness and duty was asking for trouble unless you were speaking with someone who knew what went bump in the night.

"Your tutor must live pretty close if you're doing five random hours every day," Buffy said, trying to get Faith to open up a little more.  She wanted to know how far she could push the other girl.  

"Well, she's my guardian as well," Faith replied.  "The woman who interrupted us the other night at the club, that was her.  She's kinda uptight about some stuff…she's got this whole British thing working for her."

Buffy grinned and bit back a snort of laughter.  She'd had three years of experience with the Watchers.  She could definitely sympathise.

"But she's nice?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah I guess.  I mean, as nice as an adult can be," Faith replied vehemently.

Buffy raised her eyebrows curiously.  "I'm missing something here, aren't I?" 

Faith led them into a small park, towards the swing set.  They sat beside each other, their shoes scuffing the dirt beneath them as they swang gently.

"It's nothing," Faith denied.

"Just for future reference, you suck at lying."

"It's nothing!  What does it matter?"  she asked.  The brunette pushed her feet into the ground harder, the swing moving higher in the air as though she were trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and Buffy.

Buffy knew she was walking dangerous ground.  Even though she knew that Faith was physically weakened, if provoked enough, as a Slayer, her first instinct would be to lash out with physical violence.  She had no real desire to be hit by Faith.

Buffy's hand shot out and grabbed the metal chain link of Faith's swing, bringing it to a halt.  Faith looked vaguely shocked, and Buffy moved her hand to rest on top of Faith's.

"It matters," was Buffy's simple reply.

Faith looked at her with disbelief, not quite understanding why anyone would try and reach out to her on such a simple level.  

"Same story as every other kid living this side of Boston," Faith replied, trying to keep her answer vaguely casual.  "Two parents who liked booze more than they liked each other."

"What happened to them?" Buffy asked.  She'd always wondered what the parents were told if their child was a Potential.  She was infinitely grateful that she hadn't been taken away from her home and raised in the ways of traditional Slayers.

"Nothing," Faith replied.  "They're still around.  Jo got custody of me when I was ten.  She's my uh…aunt.  From England…but we were close when I was little."  _I suck at lying_.  She cleared her throat uncomfortably and again switched the focus of the conversation.  "What about your parents?"

"Divorced," Buffy replied.  "I live with my mom.  Dad's…well, not really around.  He lives in LA, which I guess isn't too far away.  Only about two hours by car."

"Damn, that sucks."

"I'm over it."

"Now who sucks at lying?" Faith asked with a grin.

Buffy rolled her eyes and looked down at her feet as her shoes kicked at the dirt.  She suddenly realised that her hand was still over Faith's.  She looked to where their hands met and felt the now familiar tingling sensation come over her.  She pulled her hand back, the ring on Faith's finger catching her attention. She was fairly certain that hadn't been there the evening before.

"Nice ring," Buffy commented.  "New?"

"Birthday gift," Faith replied.  "And don't change the topic."

"When's your birthday?" Buffy asked, deliberately avoiding the question.

"Today, I'm eighteen, and just answer the question already B."

"B?" Buffy repeated.

Faith rolled her eyes.  "And I thought _I_ was bad."

"Alright, so I'm not over it," Buffy admitted.  "But there's nothing I can do about it, so I'll get over it."

"Sounds familiar," Faith replied quietly.

They sat in silence, both of them swinging in their seats, their movements the exact opposite to each other.  Faith stopped suddenly and looked at the blonde girl seriously.

"Well, that got depressing."

Buffy laughed and stopped her swing, dragging her feet in the dust, effectively ruining her boots.

"It kinda did, didn't it?"

----

Much thanks for all the reviews!!!

S&K.


	8. Games

CHAPTER EIGHT: GAMES

Faith walked into the apartment, a smile on her face.  Nothing was going to ruin this day for her.  In the past, her birthdays had never been as good as this, and even with her sudden loss of strength, it was still one of the best.

"Hey Jo," Faith called out in greeting.

Joanna looked up from her book and waved.  "Did you have fun?" she asked with a smile.

"Fun was definitely had," she replied.

"Good," Joanna replied.  

"We're going out again tonight," Faith explained.

"Oh…about that.  I was hoping you could do a slight re-con mission tonight," Joanna said.

Faith's good mood suddenly deflated completely.  "Uh, you do remember the whole me not having strength thing at the moment, right?" 

Joanna nodded and fought to keep the guilt from her face.

"I know.  I'm not asking you to patrol. There's just one house that needs to be looked over.  It shouldn't be any trouble."

Faith sighed and sat on the couch beside her Watcher.  She knew that she couldn't actually say no to any direct orders, no matter how much she didn't want to obey.  

"Alright…so…details?"

------------------------

Buffy followed Faith as she made her way to the building that would house the brunette Slayer's Cruciamentum.  Buffy wasn't too sure how exactly she could help her fellow Slayer without the Council finding out about the extra help, and without Faith knowing that Buffy hadn't exactly been truthful in their new friendship either.

The blonde Slayer couldn't help but wonder what exactly was between the two of them.  They shared a connection on an obvious Slayer level, but there was something more to it than that.  She was attracted to Faith, a startling revelation for Buffy.  She had lain awake for the past two nights, her thoughts consumed completely by the dark-haired Slayer.  She wanted to know about Faith and her life and everything else that made her the person that she was.

She knew that she would have to return to Sunnydale soon.  She wanted desperately to stay and get to know Faith more, but she had a duty on the hellmouth that couldn't be shirked.

She sighed and continued following Faith, who was looking over her shoulder every few seconds, as though she knew that she was being followed by something or someone.  A duffel bag was thrown over Faith's shoulder, and buffy could tell by the shape of the material that she was carrying more weapons than she normally would have on a standard patrol.  Buffy could remember the feeling of absolute need to take every piece of arsenal that she could carry.  It had given her a false sense of security.

Faith turned down the street that Joanna had directed her to, a mantra playing silently in her head.  "I'm not scared, I'm not scared, I'm so not scared…"

She paused outside the house, not liking the look of it at all.  She wondered what would happen if she went home and told Joanna that she hadn't had the confidence to go inside.  She knew that Joanna wouldn't like it if she came home with no information, so with reluctance, she walked up to the front porch and entered the darkened house.

Buffy quietly followed her in, making sure to stay absolutely silent.  She didn't want to be staked or shot with a crossbow bolt for startling the girl.  The door slammed shut behind her and Buffy knew that the test had begun.  Even though she herself was not weakened, she couldn't help but feel the fear all over again.

Meanwhile, Faith was on the verge of a panic attack.  There was very little light in the house, and she could hear something moving in the house.

"Wanna play?" came a creepy whisper from the corner of the room.  Faith held back a gasp and aimed her crossbow into the shadows, trying to see any sign of movement.

"Come on Faithy…let's play."

Faith spun again, scared beyond belief.  She vowed that if she got out of the house alive, she would hit Joanna across the back of the head for forcing her to come into the house with her strength gone.

"Show yourself," Faith demanded, her voice slightly shaky.

"S'a game, birthday girl," the voice replied.  "Gotta find me."

Somewhere upstairs, a door slammed.  Faith jumped and pointed the crossbow to the top of the stairs.  She psyched herself up and managed to get halfway up the staircase when another door slammed.  She tightened her grip on the crossbow and the stake that she held, telling herself not to panic.

Buffy watched, her own crossbow in her hands, aimed at the top of the stairs.  She wasn't about to watch Faith get killed, and she wasn't going to let her get turned either.

"Getting' warmer."

Faith reached the top of the stairs, and scanned the darkness.  She could see nothing out of the ordinary.  She breathed in deeply and began moving down the corridor.

Buffy began her slow ascent of the stairs, worried that Faith would turn around and see her at any moment.  She made it to the top and ducked behind a pillar as Faith spun around, hearing the top stair creak under Buffy's weight.

"C'mon dearie.  Nearly there."

An almost forgotten memory hit Buffy at full force.  She recognised that voice.  She couldn't believe she'd almost forgotten the craziest vampire she'd ever met.  The voice belonged to Drusilla.  She tried not to panic, but she knew how violent Drusilla could be.  The crazy vampire had killed Kendra, and was now after Faith.  There was no way that Buffy was going to let her get another sister-Slayer.

Faith continued following the voice, trying each of the doors on the sides of the corridor, only to find all of them locked.  The door at the end of the corridor was flung open suddenly, and Faith shot of a bolt from the crossbow, missing the target completely.  It hit the blonde vampire's shoulder, but missed the heart.  

Faith discarded the crossbow, knowing she'd never be able to reload in time.  She pulled a cross from the pocket of her jeans and held it in front of her, her hand trembling badly.  The vampire hissed in anger and sent a spinning kick to Faith's wrist, dislodging the cross, leaving her with only a stake to defend herself.

The Slayer panicked for a moment before throwing herself completely into the battle.  Even without her strength, she still had the training that she'd been given over the last few years.  She threw a right hook at the vampire's face, her knuckles aching at the sudden pain that ran through her hand.  She made a mental note to not take her Slayer strength for granted if she ever made it out of the house alive.

She ducked a roundhouse kick and shot out her foot, catching the back of the vampire's knee, sending him stumbling into the wall.  It regrouped quickly and punched Faith in the face.  She fell backwards and leant against the wall trying to push past the pain.  

She attacked again, gaining the advantage for a moment.  She went to plunge the stake into the vampire's heart but was startled by the sound of clapping coming from behind her.  She turned and saw another vampire coming towards her.  She was thin with long dark brown hair.  Faith cast a quick look to the other vampire, annoyed that he'd recovered from the attack and now had her cornered.

Buffy kept her crossbow trained on Drusilla's back, directly aimed at the heart.  She wanted to give Faith the chance to kill Drusilla, and if she failed, then Buffy would step in.

Faith looked between the two vampires, quickly deciding that the female was more of a threat to her than anything.  She'd been wrong.  As soon as her back was turned, she felt something solid connect with the back of her head, forcing her to her knees.  Her hand reached to the now throbbing section of her head, and Faith could feel blood beginning to drip down the back of her neck.

The blonde vampire snarled at the sudden scent in the air, carelessly attacking, leaving Faith with an opening.  She weakly thrust the stake into the vampire's chest, surprised by how much force she'd needed to use in order to stake the creature.  It usually felt to seamless and simple, but now it as a struggle to even get a stake to penetrate the skin.  He turned to dust leaving Faith alone with the female vampire.

Drusilla quickly stepped towards Faith, skilfully dodging a weak punch that Faith directed at Drusilla's legs.  Drusilla slammed her fist into the back of Faith's head, clipping the wound the other vampire had inflicted upon the girl.  The Slayer slammed into the wall and slid to her knees.  Drusilla grabbed Faith's hair, dragging her to a standing position and slamming the Slayer's back against the wall.

"Look at me dearie," Drusilla crooned softly.  "Be in my eyes.  Be in me."

Faith felt her mind go completely blank. She stared into the vampire's deep brown eyes and the entire world as she knew it disappeared.  She was suddenly in no pain at all, and she thanked whoever or whatever had just put her out of her misery, even though she knew that it wasn't a good sign.

Buffy stepped forward and shot off a crossbow bolt, hitting Drusilla's arm.  The vampire let out a high-pitched wail, turning to the blonde girl and effectively breaking the trance that Faith was in.  The brunette Slayer slumped slid to the floor, her head aching and her entire body feeling as though it was on fire.

"Bad Slayer," Drusilla said, pointing her finger at Buffy as though she was scolding a child.  "Ruining my nice party."

"Sorry Dru.  You know me, I just can't resist crashing these things." Her eyes never left the insane vampire, the crossbow reloaded and ready to be fired.

"You took away my sweet Angel…my daddy.  My William thinks of nothing but you…you're all around him…laughing…floating in his head."

Buffy had never been able to understand Drusilla, and she was making no attempts to try and interpret anything that Angel's childe was saying now.

"You're aware you're insane, right?"

Drusilla laughed and approached Buffy slowly.  Buffy made sure to keep her eyes away from Drusilla's.  As much as Giles had ingrained the notion of always maintaining eye contact with your opponent so you could pre-empt their moves, the Slayer had no desire to fall into one of Drusilla's trances.

"Only cos daddy made me that way," Drusilla replied.  "And you loved him.  He loved me too y'know.  Once.  So long ago.  Before you stole him away from me."

Drusilla lunged towards Buffy who quickly stepped backwards, kicking the vampire's stomach.  Drusilla tried battling the crossbow away from Buffy, the sudden fight for the weapon making it shoot.  The bolt hit Drusilla's stomach.  Buffy quickly threw the crossbow to the side and pulled out a stake from the waistband of her pants.  The Slayer and Vampire circled each other warily before Drusilla finally struck.

The two women fought with deadly accuracy, holding nothing back, knowing that only one of them would be walking away.  Buffy fought with everything she had, wanting to avenge Kendra's death, and wanting to make sure Faith got out of the house alive.  She knew that Faith wasn't doing too well, and that she would need treatment for the wound to her head and soon if she wanted to make it through the night.

Drusilla gained a momentary advantage, suddenly holding the short Slayer in a headlock, trying to cut off Buffy's air supply.  Buffy panicked for a moment before collecting her wits and slamming her head into Drusilla's face, sending the vampire tumbling to the ground.  Buffy slammed her boot into Drusilla's ribs and quickly knelt one knew on the vampire, keeping Drusilla pinned to the ground.

"I so shoulda done this years ago," Buffy commented, thrusting her stake into Drusilla's heart, watching with satisfaction as one of her longest standing nemeses crumbled to dust.  

She jumped to her feet and gently took hold of Faith who was struggling to remain conscious.  

"Faith?" 

Faith looked up at her groggily, her eyes squinting to try and focus on her rescuer.

"Jo?" 

The blonde managed to sling one of Faith's arms around Buffy's shoulders, hoisting her into a standing position and gently guiding her down the stairs.  They made it out to the front porch and Buffy quickly rummaged into the Faith's jacket pockets, taking out Faith's cell phone.

She scrolled through the address book and found Joanna's number.  The Watcher answered on the first ring.

"Faith?"

"Your Slayer needs help," Buffy said quickly, hanging up before Joanna could ask any questions.

Buffy sank onto her knees beside Faith, her fingers carefully probing the wound at the back of Faith's head, trying to gage how bad it really was.  She knew that the other Slayer probably had a concussion.

"Faith, you still with me?" Buffy asked gently.

Faith groaned something unintelligible.  "Jo…where's Jo…she…she'll help."

Buffy stroked Faith's hair gently.  "She's coming.  She'll be here.  She'll help you."

For ten minutes, Buffy continued to get Faith to talk to her, even if the brunette Slayer had no idea what she was saying.  As long as she stayed awake and conscious, Buffy wasn't too worried.

Buffy heard pounding footsteps running towards them.  She stood quickly and let Joanna take her place at Faith's side.  Buffy had done the best she could to stop the bleeding at the back of Faith's head, but she didn't have that much experience with head wounds.  

Joanna finally turned her attention to Buffy, recognising her as the blonde girl that Faith had been dancing with the other night.  Her eyes narrowed as she wondered if Faith had told her about being the Slayer.

"You're the girl from the club," Joanna said.

"Something like that," Buffy replied.  

The Watcher regarded her curiously, hoping that if Faith had told the girl about being a Slayer then Buffy would have the necessary discretion to keep Faith's identity a secret. 

"How do you know about Slayers?" 

Buffy smiled enigmatically and began walking down the stairs, knowing that Joanna would be able to take care of the injured Slayer.

Watchers, as a general rule, were a curious bunch, and Joanna couldn't let the mysterious blonde girl just walk away.

She called out, hoping to stop the girl.  "What's your name?" 

Buffy turned around, and met the Watcher's curious gaze.

"Buffy."

----

Ooo, long chapter.  ;)  Much thanks for the reviews and emails!!

S&K


	9. Swinging

(Blame Sarah for the cake thing…if you haven't seen The Matrix Reloaded you may not get the cake thing…trust us, it's meant to be kinda funny.  Then again, it's about three in the morning and we're high on sugar, so…it might not be.)

CHAPTER NINE: SWINGING

Faith awoke mid-afternoon, her head no longer throbbing painfully.  The first thing she saw was her Watcher's worried face, staring at her intently.  

"Hey," Joanna greeted quietly.  "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, but…not as bad as last night," Faith replied tiredly.  "What the hell happened?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Joanna replied honestly.  "I think you got attacked by some of the vampires in that nest."

Faith sat up slowly in bed, trying to avoid a sudden head-rush.  Joanna handed her a cup of tea that Faith gratefully took, sipping the warm liquid that gave her immense comfort.  

"Yeah, I think I vaguely remember something like that happening," Faith said, trying to cast her mind back to the events of the previous evening.  She couldn't remember anything after she'd been cornered by the two vampires in the corridor.  She knew she'd taken a hit to the head.

She reached up and gingerly touched the back of her neck, Joanna immediately noticing.

"It's pretty much entirely healed," Joanna said.  "You must have your full strength back."

Faith nodded, surprised by how much better she felt.  She felt almost whole.  She stretched out her tired muscles, feeling the familiarity of her strength rush through her.

"Any ideas why it went away like that?" Faith asked.

Joanna couldn't meet her eyes as she shook her head.  "No.  Perhaps you just became ill for a few days."

Faith sighed, wanting to know for sure what had happened to her.  She wanted to make sure that it never happened again.  She'd hated the helpless feeling that she'd had, and she'd hated the thought of having to deal with a 'normal' life.

"Well, as long as it don't happen again, I guess I'm cool."

"No…I dare say it won't happen again," Joanna said quietly.  She stood and walked from the room, hating having to lie to her Slayer.  

She walked into the living room and saw Quentin Travers seated on the couch, a cup of tea in his hands.  He looked at her expectantly.

"She's awake?" he asked.

Joanna nodded.  "She's still a little shaken.  Perhaps you should just leave it to me to explain about the test." She had absolutely no intention of telling Faith about her betrayal, knowing that the Slayer had always had problems with trusting authority figures.  If Faith ever found out about Joanna's role in the Cruciamentum, there would be no way of rebuilding the trust between them.

Travers hesitated before finally nodding.  He knew that Joanna Braidwood was nothing like Rupert Giles, and he trusted her completely.  She had administered the test and carried through with it faithfully.  He had no reason to think that she wouldn't complete the ritual by explaining the Council's desire to ensure that their Slayers had both the courage and mental abilities to make it through the test.  

"Of course.  I'll leave it to your judgement," Travers replied.

Joanna barely managed to hold back a sigh of relief.  She nodded formally, and the two Watcher's shook hands before Travers left.  Joanna had never been more relieved in her life.

She knew that the test had very nearly killed her Slayer, and she knew that the only reason that Faith had even come out alive was because of Buffy, the Slayer that the Council considered to be reckless and a rogue.  She didn't know why Buffy had come to Boston at this exact moment, but she knew that the other Slayer genuinely cared for Faith.

Joanna sighed and made her way back up the stairs, carrying a glass of water and several painkillers.  She went into Faith's room and handed the medication to the girl.

"Was there someone else here?" Faith asked.

Joanna just looked at Faith as though she was slightly crazy.  "No.  Of course not."

------------------------

It was nearly five in the afternoon when Faith suddenly remembered the arrangements she'd made with Buffy to meet the evening before.  She shot up in bed, startling Joanna.

"What?" 

"Shit, B," Faith said, leaving the Watcher completely confused as Faith got out of bed and ran frantically around the room, trying to gather a clean outfit together.

"Uh…Faith…what are you talking about?" 

"I made plans to go out last night," Faith replied, still looking for a clean shirt.  "Now she probably thinks I stood her up."

It was at that moment that Joanna knew that Faith had no idea who or what Buffy was.  

"And that would be different from your usual flings how?" Joanna asked.

Faith glared at her and pulled her newly found shirt over her head.

"It's not a _fling_," Faith replied defensively.  She pulled on a pair of dark denim jeans and fumbled around the closet trying to find her boots.  "This is different."

Joanna was startled by the intensity of Faith's statement.  No one had ever affected Faith this badly before.  She followed as Faith began running down the stairs.

  
"Do you even know where this girl lives?" 

Faith shot out the door, shouting her answer over her shoulder.  "I'll find her.  Trust me."

------------------------

Faith ran across town, checking the coffee shop, the pizza place and the dance club before resigning herself to walking through random parts of town.  Her run had slowed to a brisk walk, which had slowed to a depressed stroll.  She walked into the park as the sun began to set, annoyed that she'd missed her meeting with Buffy the night before.  

She walked to the empty swing set and sat down, looking down as her feet made patterns in the dirt.  She sighed and hoped that Buffy would be at the club later that evening.

She felt a pair of hands touch her back gently, not to shove her off the seat, but merely to give the swing some momentum.  She looked over her shoulder and felt her heart leap into her throat as she recognised the small blonde girl behind her.

"Hey," Faith greeted, thankful that her voice hadn't done anything embarrassing with that one word.

"Hi," Buffy replied, still pushing Faith gently back and forth.  "You okay?  You look kinda sad."

"Yeah, I uh…I'm alright.  Just thinking."

"About what?"

A number of answers came to Faith's mind, most, if not all, involving she and the blonde and not a lot else.  Except possibly a bed, a small amount of alcohol and possibly some sort of chocolate cake.  (Matrix 2 style…*ahem*)

"Oh, just life in general."

"Gee, you wanna vague that up for me," Buffy replied dryly.  

Faith shrugged and kept her head forward, somehow knowing that if she saw the blonde girl pouting, she would probably answer anything that Buffy asked.

"Well, what are you thinking about then?" Faith countered.

Buffy hesitated.  If Faith's thoughts were anything like her own, she could understand why the brunette didn't answer.  She coughed, slightly uncomfortable.

"Uh…"

"Yeah, see.  That's why I'm not answering either."

Buffy blushed, immensely glad that Faith had her back to her.  The blonde Slayer still didn't understand what was going on between them.  Part of her wanted to run back to Sunnydale and bury her head in the sand, never to acknowledge the powerful connection that she and Faith had discovered between them, whilst the other part of her wanted to know what would happen if they acted on some of their desires.

Faith dragged her feet in the dirt to stop the swing from moving.  She twisted the chain links so that they crisscrossed above her head, now facing Buffy.

"You're not mad about last night?  With the whole me not showing up thing?" Faith asked.

Buffy shook her head.  She'd nearly forgotten that she and Faith had made plans for the evening before.  

"No it's cool.  I figured you probably got caught up with something else," Buffy replied.  "Unless you were trying to avoid me…you weren't right?"

"No!" Faith coughed uncomfortably and tried again.  "I mean, no, I wasn't trying to avoid you.  Stuff just came up and I couldn't really get out of it."

"Nothing too serious I hope," Buffy commented.

Faith shook her head.  "No.  I mean, I'm alive, so it can't have been too bad."

"Right…what doesn't kill you only makes you less dead and all that," Buffy quipped.

Faith grinned and stood up off the swing, the chains untwisting themselves loudly.

"So, are you up for some dancing tonight?"

---

Much thanks for the reviews!!

S&K


	10. Connections

CHAPTER TEN: CONNECTIONS

After dinner, the two Slayers made their way into Club Helix, both of them unconsciously scanning the crowds for any dangerous threats.  With both Slayers satisfied that the area was vampire free, they moved onto the dance floor, ignoring any and all offers from men asking them to dance.

As they began to dance, Faith was aware of how much energy the last few days had sapped from her. Normally she would have been pounding the floor by now and using hips, hands, everything, to cajole and persuade her partner to come closer. She knew though, that it wasn't just a lack of energy that created restraint in her – for the first time, Faith was a little nervous and a little afraid of how to handle the person that stood in front of her.

Buffy tried to appear calm and casual as they danced, not sure of how much she should trust her feelings towards Faith. She doubted whether her feelings were authentic or if she was just misreading what was simply a sister-Slayer connection. Buffy also knew she'd be leaving soon, as she'd achieved her objective of preventing Faith's death during the Cruciamentum. So there was no reason to stay…right?

She reached out and nervously put one gentle hand on Faith's right hip, guiding her body closer. She saw Faith's face react, and then her hasty attempt to cover her raw shock. However the dark-haired Slayer didn't back away, but allowed Buffy to pull her closer and leave her hand resting on her hip as they swayed with the mid-tempo beat. 

Faith felt her heart speed up. Soon she was sure it would break ranks and burst from her chest because there was no way humanly possible that it could keep beating that fast without doing damage. When Buffy had pulled her to her in that one graceful motion she knew her face had announced her amazement. What Buffy hadn't seen was the small smile that followed it.

Soon Faith worked up the courage to slide one arm around Buffy's waist. She could feel her breath coming in staccato gasps as she did so, not sure how she should touch her, not sure if she could touch her without losing her composure. She could feel her shoulders trembling and was sure Buffy would be able to feel those little shivers passing through her body. 

Buffy noticed the little rivers of shock passing through Faith's body. She almost giggled to think this was the same girl that who had mercilessly reeled in boys just three nights ago. 

The two girls may as well have been alone on the floor. They simply swayed, arms around each other, body to body, for two hours. Neither girl noticed the time passing. Their warm foreheads dipped to meet and press against each other, and both girls closed their eyes, savouring the transient present. 

Buffy eventually opened her eyes and reached one finger up to stroke a lock of Faith's dark wavy hair from her eyes. She let her hand rest on Faith's cheek, enjoying the smoothness of her skin. Never had she felt more in tune with another person than in this moment with Faith. They breathed the same breath, both absorbed in the reality of the other.

Nothing more needed saying. There was an understanding between them now, and Buffy was comfortable in the knowledge that it would extend far beyond that night.

---

Very short, interlude thingy.  Enjoy!  Thanks heaps for the reviews!!

S&K


	11. Pain

CHAPTER ELEVEN: PAIN

Once again, the club closed before Buffy and Faith were finished dancing.  They walked out of the club arm-in-arm, both of them feeling incredibly nervous.  The bouncer on the door was somewhat surprised to see that Faith had left with someone that she'd left with twice before.  If he hadn't known any better, he would have thought that Faith was starting to settle into a monogamous relationship.  There would be many disappointed men (and women) who didn't like the idea of Faith being taken.

Faith had no idea of what to expect.  Ever since Buffy had played with the lock of Faith's hair, the brunette Slayer had been slightly off balance and she hated being out of control.  As a Slayer, she found that she liked knowing her ground and knowing her opponent, but when Faith was with Buffy, everything that Faith had come to expect as 'normal' had been thrown out the proverbial window.

Buffy was feeling something similar to Faith.  There was no control in their relationship, something that she and Angel had been forced to have, ever since the incident with Angelus.  Buffy found herself enjoying the unpredictability that came with the emotions that Faith was evoking.  Unfortunately, Buffy knew that she would have to leave tomorrow morning, and the reality of the situation was that she may well never see her sister-in-arms again.

The thought of having to leave brought about an uncomfortable feeling of regret.  She wasn't entirely sure of how she was meant to tell Faith that she was leaving, but she knew she had to broach the topic carefully.

"I'm leaving tomorrow."

Or not.

Faith stepped back, effectively unlinking their arms.  Buffy winced, knowing that as a Slayer, Faith's coming tantrum could be extremely violent.

"Oh I so did not just hear that," Faith said angrily.  

"I'm sorry-"

"You're sorry?!" she yelled, not caring about the people who were sleeping in the surrounding houses.  "Then what the fuck was tonight about?"

Buffy looked away in shame, not knowing how to answer Faith's question.  She didn't like the fact that she had to leave any more than Faith did.

"Answer me dammit!  No, fuckit, I don't wanna hear it.  Tonight was…incredible and then you gotta go and pull something like this? Do you know how fucking unfair that is? I mean, shit, B, _I trusted you_. All the goddamn thinking I've been doing over _you _and it's all just some fucking _joke_. Oh God…the funniest thing is I've never fucking trusted anyone in my life, ever! Never let anyone in, and now you're telling me you're leaving and I've got no fucking choice whatsoever? You wanna screw me over? Well _screw you too!  _God B, did it even mean anything to you?" 

Faith had never thought she'd hear those words coming from her of all people, but she was angry and for the first time in her entire life, her feelings had been hurt.

"Of course it did!" Buffy cried.  There were tears running down her cheeks, and she was fighting the urge to sob.  "I have no idea what the hell is going on between us, and I know that I've got the suckiest timing on the face of the earth, but it's not like I want to leave!  I like you Faith.  More than like you.  And I don't know what it means, it scares the hell outta me as well, and as much as I'd love to stay and find out what's happening here, I have to go home."

Faith looked at Buffy in shocked silence.  She didn't know what to think what to feel.  The first person she'd ever made any real sort of connection with was leaving, and Faith was fairly certain there wasn't anything she could do to make Buffy stay.

Faith sighed and felt some of her anger leave her.  It was nice to know that the feelings between them hadn't just been some strange hallucination on Faith's side.  It was good to know that Buffy was hurting just as much.

"God this sucks," Faith said quietly.

"I really am sorry," Buffy replied.

She now was at a loss for words and stood staring at Faith in hopeless remorse. What could she do? She had to leave but she didn't want to hurt Faith either. She wished there was a solution that avoided any of this but she knew there was only one course of action and she had taken it.

"I'm just…I just don't want you to go," Faith whispered, so low that Buffy could barely hear her. She knew the admission had been incredibly hard for Faith and Buffy's stomach knotted with sadness at forcing the dark haired slayer to be so raw in front of her. It didn't come naturally.

"I know," Buffy said, her voice racked with tension and guilt. 

Buffy could say nothing more that would be of any comfort to Faith. She couldn't promise to visit, she couldn't lie to her and tell her they would see each other again, and she couldn't even guarantee that either of them would live long enough for there _to_ be another meeting between them. She knew that this was probably to be their last encounter and the last thing she wanted to do now was raise false hope in the girl and make this process more painful.

Faith did what Buffy had been hoping she wouldn't do. She began to cry. 

Tears ran down Faith's cheeks and she struggled to breathe, trying desperately to compose herself.  She wasn't a crier!  Slayers didn't cry!  Well, they probably did, but _Faith_ didn't.  She wiped at her tears angrily, hating the unfamiliar wetness on her hand.  

Buffy hesitated in her decision but finally stepped forward, reaching a tentative hand towards Faith, touching the girl's shoulder.  Faith shrugged her off, not entirely comfortable with accepting any token gestures of sympathy.  Buffy tried again, and Faith's silent protests were only half-hearted.

The blonde Slayer pulled Faith into a hug, the brunette girl stiffening for a moment before giving in.  They clung to each other tightly, Faith too caught up in her grief to notice that Buffy wasn't flinching out of the stronghold that would have hurt any normal human.  

------------------------

Faith sat on the couch of the apartment, a book on her lap, but her eyes un-seeing.  Joanna was glancing at her every few seconds, wanting to ask her charge what exactly was wrong, but she didn't dare pry.  Joanna couldn't work out what had caused the sudden change in Faith, though she would have placed money on it being something to do with Buffy.

Faith absently turned the page, her mind still on the previous evening.  She couldn't quite believe that she had broken down so badly the night before, and she was sorely reminded of why she'd never been emotionally attached to anyone before.  It hurt too damn much.

The Watcher and Slayer looked up as someone knocked softly at the door.  Faith turned to Joanna expectantly, having no intention of moving from her moping place on the couch.  Joanna sighed and stood up, and answered the door, not entirely surprised to see the other Slayer standing nervously on the front steps.

"Hey," Buffy greeted quietly.  "Is Faith in?"

Joanna nodded and stepped back, motioning Buffy to enter, not giving a verbal invitation even though it was mid-morning and the sun was shining brightly.  Buffy entered and dropped her duffle bag by the door.

Faith looked up and was torn between excitement and misery.  She stood and faced the small blonde girl, not certain that she wanted another scene like the one from the night before.

"Hey," she greeted casually.

"Hi," Buffy replied.

Faith cast a look to Joanna who took the hint and excused herself, moving into the kitchen to make tea.  Buffy moved further into the room, the two girls not entirely sure where they stood with each other.  

"So…you're all packed?" Faith asked.

Buffy nodded and shoved her hands into her pockets, not wanting to stand there and fidget nervously in front of Faith.  "Yeah, I'm pretty much ready to go.  I just, uh…came to say goodbye."

"Right…so…see ya," Faith said nonchalantly.  She stepped forward and held her hand out for Buffy to shake. 

Buffy was slightly confused, but decided not to question it.  She removed her hand from her pocket and shook Faith's hand, surprised by the gentleness of the gesture.  For several seconds, the two girls stood, both of them looking at their hands.  Almost by silent consent, they looked up, both of them suddenly feeling their hearts beating just a little bit faster.  

Faith hesitated for a moment longer before pulling Buffy into a tight hug, Buffy reciprocating, surprised by the tears she found welling in her eyes.  The two girls clung to each other as they had done the night before, neither of them wanting to let go.  

"Can…can we stay in touch?" Buffy asked quietly.

Faith nodded, and then remembered that they were standing too close for Buffy to be able to appreciate the silent answer.  "Yeah."

"You don't hate me, right?" 

"Pretty much the opposite," Faith replied.

Buffy sighed with relief and buried her face in the crook of Faith's neck.  The blonde Slayer wasn't quite sure where the temptation to kiss Faith's neck came from, but she decided against it, knowing that Faith probably wouldn't appreciate the gesture.  Well, the Faith from five nights ago would have appreciated it, but this newer emotionally charged girl would be too confused by it.

Buffy finally pulled back, the two girls hands still touching loosely.  Faith stared at her feet and eventually drew her hand away from Buffy's, not wanting this moment to become any more painful than it already was.

The brunette girl coughed uncomfortably and rocked on her heels, wondering what to say.  Buffy seemed to be having the same problem.  Just as Faith had worked up the nerve to ask for Buffy's phone number, they were interrupted by the sound of Faith's Watcher coughing and entering with a tray of tea.

The two girls shot her identical looks of annoyance, amusing Joanna to no end.  They moved to the couch and sat down at the opposite ends of the sofa.  Faith cast a sideways glance at Buffy and felt a knot of sadness threaten to overwhelm her.  She stood suddenly, Buffy and Joanna both looking at her in shock.

"Bathroom," she muttered, escaping quickly to ensure that neither her Watcher or Buffy noticed the tears in her eyes.

Joanna looked at Buffy and handed her a cup of tea.

"Does she know who you really are?" Joanna asked.

Buffy shook her head.  "Not that I know of.  If she does she's not letting on."

"Are you planning on telling her?" 

"It's not on my to-do list, no," Buffy replied.  She looked at Joanna expectantly.  "Are you?"

Joanna shook her head.  She hadn't told Faith about Buffy for many reasons, and it seemed as though a few more reasons had just been added to that list.

"No. I won't."

"I'm guessing that she doesn't know about the whole Cruciamentum deal?"

"No.  And I'm not going to tell her," Joanna answered, her gaze almost challenging Buffy to mention anything to the other Slayer.

Buffy nodded, understanding Joanna's reasons for not wanting to inform the girl of the betrayal that had happened.  In some ways, Buffy wished that she didn't know that Giles had injected her with the muscle relaxant, but in other ways, it was good that the burden of the secret wasn't getting in the way of their improving working relationship.  

"You're not one of the tight-ass Council members," Buffy observed.  "That's definitely a good."

"I don't think Faith would have responded too well to someone who was too strict."

Buffy laughed and shook her head.  She heard Faith beginning to walk back to the living room and quickly settled herself onto the couch, tea and a cookie in hand.  She flattened her hair and straightened her clothing, an unconscious move that had Joanna biting back a grin.

Faith sat down and looked between Joanna and Buffy, wondering what they'd been talking about.  Buffy gave her a small smile, and all of Faith's thoughts flew out the window.  She smiled back and Joanna once again excused herself, going up the stairs into her bedroom to give the two girls some privacy.  

Faith cleared her throat and shifted on the couch self-consciously.  "So…when do you gotta leave?"

Buffy glanced at her watch and sighed.  "Pretty much now.  My bus to the airport leaves in about five minutes."

Faith felt a sensation that was akin to blind panic, her heart in her throat.  There was so much she felt she wanted to say, but couldn't, and knew she shouldn't either. The desire to speak was there, but she sat, opening and closing her mouth unconsciously, words tangled in her head but none emerging from her lips. 

"Now? Oh…." That was all Faith could manage. She felt embarrassed in her lack of something better to say. All the things she _wanted_ to express would be far too melodramatic and the last thing she would do was make Buffy uncomfortable.

"So…I guess this is…kinda it?" Buffy sighed softly.

"Kinda."

Faith felt wrecked. She wondered why, in these important, life-altering moments that stuck in your memory forever, you weren't allowed to say that which sprung to mind most forcefully. The laws of communication somehow forbid it, as if articulating your gut feelings was too criminal, too cruel to the other person involved. So she didn't. She let the feelings swell in her chest and sicken her, but she did not let them out.

Buffy moved towards Faith tentatively. Strangely she wanted to touch her once more before she left, thinking maybe she could hold onto that memory all the way home, hold onto it for as long as she could before it faded into nothing.

"Goodbye, Faith." Buffy almost choked on the words. 

The blonde slayer managed to grab her dark-haired counterpart moments before her face crumbled into tears. She was glad that Faith could not see her face, and Faith shared her thought. Both girls stood gripping each other tightly, crying silent painful tears onto each others shoulders. Buffy felt Faith's body contort with sound-less sobs against her own, and she, in that instant, truly hated their shared calling which was the main thing that was keeping them apart. 

Joanna stood at the bottom of the stairs after having come down from her bedroom. She said nothing. There was sympathy, and also awe as she puzzled over Faith's new foray into what seemed like monogamy. She looked on them for a moment more, and then turned on her heel again and left. She knew there would be time for Faith's grief, for their embrace seemed to tell of Buffy's imminent departure.

Buffy knew it was time to pull away. If they held each other for too much longer they wouldn't let go. And as much as Buffy liked the idea of more Faith huggy goodness, she knew that neither of them needed that now.

"You know, if I'm gonna leave here, we're gonna have to let go," Buffy whispered into Faith's hair.

"So if I didn't let go, you'd kinda be forced to stay, huh?" Faith asked softly.

Buffy couldn't help the small smile that came to her face.  She knew there was one last thing that she wanted to say before she pulled away and walked out the door.

"Love you Faith."

Faith felt the entire world freeze.  She could have sworn that her heart stopped beating, and that she no longer needed to breath.  She'd never heard those words whispered to her by someone who she knew actually _meant _them.  Her heart suddenly sped up, and she knew the reply that she wanted to say.

She'd never said the words to anyone before, never had the emotional connection to say them to anyone.  Even to Joanna who had raised her for the last seven years, and Faith admired and liked her in a purely parental respect, but she'd still never breathed those words.  Even though it ached to hear the words from the blonde girl when she knew nothing could happen between them, she knew she wouldn't have had Buffy take them back.  As much as the words made her ache, it also made her heart soar.  

She struggled for the words, a seemingly simple phrase.  "Love you." She'd murmured the words against Buffy's neck, but Buffy had heard them and knew that Faith meant them.  She smiled and tightened her grip on Faith.  

They finally stepped away from each other, tears on their cheeks.

"So…I'll see ya," Faith said, trying to be casual and not burst into a bout of sobs with Buffy standing in front of her.

Buffy nodded and slipped Faith a piece of paper with her phone number on it.

"Call me, okay?" Buffy said quietly, moving towards the door, remembering to pick up her bag before she left.  "No matter what time it is…even if it's just to complain about the weather."

Faith looked at the number and slipped it into her pocket, nodding.  

Buffy hesitated before bringing her hand up to touch Faith's face gently. She stepped forward and kissed Faith's cheek before quickly stepping back and turning away, not wanting to linger any longer on the doorstep.

Faith watched her walk away, absently touched her cheek where Buffy had kissed her.  She wiped away her tears and closed the door, leaning her forehead against the wood, hoping that she would see the blonde girl again, though she knew she probably never would.

Joanna came back down the stairs and walked silently to where Faith had sunk down to her knees, her head in her hands.  Joanna knelt beside her and touched Faith's shoulder gently, hoping that the Slayer wouldn't be too shattered by the experience.

----

Thanks heaps for your reviews!  All very encouraging.  We're glad you're enjoying this fic!!

S&K


	12. Home Again

CHAPTER TWELVE: HOME AGAIN

Buffy had spent the three hour plane trip thinking over the events of the last few days, unsure of what exactly had happened, but knowing that it had changed her in a way she wouldn't be able to explain to the others.  She could only imagine what Willow and Xander would say if they knew the inexplicable connection that Buffy had felt towards Faith.  Xander would be too busy drooling of course, but after he got over the mental images of the two Slayers together, he would probably wig as much as Willow and Joyce would.

The blonde Slayer walked into her house, dumping her bag on the couch and walking into the kitchen.  It didn't look as though her mom was home, and Buffy was infinitely thankful for that.  She fixed herself a sandwich before moving up to her bedroom and curling up with Mr Gordo beside her.  

------------------------

She successfully avoided her mother all of Saturday night by pretending to be asleep and then sneaking out the window to patrol, more to ease her mind than to actually keep the vampires away.  She was just grateful that she hadn't run into Angel on the way, not entirely certain that she would be able to tell him about her sudden change of heart.

She knew that she and Angel could never be together, but there was still Angel's feelings to consider.  She knew that she would have to completely break things off with the brooding vampire, too confused by these new feelings for Faith to try and deal with another doomed relationship with Angel.

Sunday came, and Buffy knew that a confrontation with her mother was inevitable.

"How was your trip honey?" Joyce asked, the standard parental question to any teen who had gone across the country.

Buffy shrugged trying to look indifferent.  "Was alright.  She didn't die, so all's well with the world."

Joyce looked at her daughter closely, having learnt to read Buffy on a whole new level since discovering Buffy's second life.

"You don't sound too thrilled about that," Joyce said.  "Did something happen?  You two didn't get along?  I would have thought that the two of you would have got along famously."

Buffy fought not to blush and looked away, wondering how to answer her mom without giving any of her new inner turmoil away.

"We didn't fight," Buffy replied.  _Well…sort of…_ "And I didn't tell her about me being the Slayer.  We actually got on pretty well." _Understatement._

"So what was the problem?" Joyce asked curiously.

"Nothing," Buffy replied.  "I'm just…tired I guess."

Joyce knew there was more to it than Buffy was letting on, but she knew that her daughter wouldn't say anything if she didn't want to.  She could only hope that Buffy would talk to Willow or one of her other friends if it was really important.

------------------------

Buffy walked into the library on Monday morning, a little worried that Giles would lecture her about not checking in the day before.  She just hadn't felt like explaining anything regarding Faith and the Cruciamentum.  She just hoped that Joanna hadn't called Giles and explained to him about the connection between Buffy and Faith.

She entered Giles' office, somewhat glad that he wasn't at school yet.  She sat down on the couch and flipped through Faith's profile for about the millionth time since she'd left Sunnydale six days ago.  She became so absorbed in reading, that she didn't notice someone else enter the office.

"Did you enjoy your weekend with your father?" Wesley asked.

Buffy jumped and looked up at her official Watcher.  She gave him a blank look for a moment before working out what he was talking about.

"Oh…uh yeah, it was good," she replied.

"Good," he said briskly.  He sat in Giles' seat and leant forward to speak to her.  "I hope that means you'll be concentrating on your Slaying here in Sunnydale then."

Buffy sighed.  She really didn't like Wesley.  

"Yeah, of course," Buffy said.  "So, where's Giles?"

Wesley sighed, hating that his Slayer still didn't look to him for Slaying advice.  He could only hope that things would change for the better and soon.

"He should be here soon."

Buffy nodded and stood up, subtly placing Faith's profile in amongst Giles' notes, not wanting Wesley to see her with his official files.

She walked out of the office and into the main area of the library, not entirely comfortable being in close quarters with the Watcher.  It wasn't as though she was intimidated by, him, there was just something about him that she found kind of creepy.  Probably his attraction to Cordelia.

The doors to the library swung open, Willow, Xander and Giles entering.  Willow squealed with excitement and raced at Buffy, hugging the girl enthusiastically.  Buffy returned the hug, a grin coming to her face.  She really had missed her friends over the last few days.

"Nice to see you too Wills," Buffy joked.

Willow stepped back and smiled sheepishly.  Xander stepped forward and engulfed the Slayer in a hug.  

"Good to have you back Buff," he said.

Buffy grinned at him and looked at Giles.  His eyes asked her a silent question and she nodded happily.  Giles sighed with relief, thankful to know that his Slayer was alright, and that her mission had gone well.  He wanted to ask her the details of what had happened, but knew he couldn't with Wesley in the room.

The Council Watcher had no idea that Buffy had gone to Boston, and had fallen for the ruse of Buffy going to visit her father in LA.  He was just glad to have the Slayer back in Sunnydale.  He didn't enjoy relying on Angel for the slaying, and he'd missed his surrogate daughter.

"So, what've I missed?" Buffy asked.

-----

Much thanks for your reviews and emails!  We really appreciate all yoru feedback!

S&K.


	13. Substituting

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: SUBSTITUTING

Faith had continued in her moping depression for four and a half days before deciding to go back to The Helix.  Joanna had been trying to get Faith to talk about what had happened, but Faith had kept everything bottled inside, not wanting to share her feeling with anyone.  She missed Buffy with an aching intensity that she didn't quite understand.  She wasn't sure how she could miss someone she'd known for only a few days.

Faith entered the club, waving away the bouncer's question of her whereabouts for the last few days.  She was dressed to kill, both literally and figuratively, but there was a certain lack of enthusiasm surrounding the Slayer.  She scanned the crowd, recognising several random faces of people she had bedded over the years.  

She promised herself that if she saw Mr Random Jock Guy from the other night that she would kick his ass for trying to intimidate her.  

Faith's attention was captured by a flash of golden blonde hair and for a moment, Faith thought that perhaps Buffy had come back.  She sighed when she saw a tall blonde girl in place of what she'd hoped to be the object of her affections.  

Someone tapped her shoulder, holding their hand out in a silent request for her to dance.  She turned and saw a tall brunette boy with a hopeful expression on his face.  She hesitated a moment before giving him her hand and letting him drag her onto the dance floor.

He held her close, and Faith couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in the intimate embrace.  She shook her head, as though to clear the strange discomfort she felt.  She'd never been awkward in a situation like this before.  In fact, boys had held her closer and she'd never wanted to put distance between herself and them.

She ignored the feelings and forced herself to dance, closing her eyes and moving rhythmically.  The boy grabbed her roughly, pulling her closer, but she pulled away, keeping room between them, not wanting to be overly close to him.  He looked confused at the room between them, unable to understand why the brunette girl who typically left barely any breathing room between herself and her dance partners was backing away from him.

He tried pulling her closer once more, and when he was again denied, he stepped away from her completely, knowing that he wasn't going to get what he wanted from her.  Faith sighed in relief and danced alone, surprised when she realised she wasn't scouting for potential partners, but just enjoying the solitude.

She felt someone brush against her and looked up to find a beautiful redhead dancing close to her.  The girl smiled at Faith and moved closer, her hand touching the Slayer's hip.  Faith flinched a little but forced herself to relax, trying to push away the memories of dancing with Buffy.  She couldn't help but compare the two girls, thinking that Buffy had been a better dancer who had anticipated every one of Faith's moves and had countered it.  But, Faith had to admit that the redhead was a fairly good dancer.

"Kinda crowded here tonight, huh?" the redhead said, leaning closer to say loudly in Faith's ear.

Faith moved backward a little, the girl's voice slightly too loud with her Slayer hearing.  She gave the girl a look, wondering why she had said that when the Helix was crowded every night.

"Uh huh." _Whoever heard of talking while dancing anyway?_

"D'you wanna get a drink or something?"

Faith shook her head.  "Just wanna dance."

The redhead frowned a little.  "You sure?"

"Yeah I'm good."  

The redhead shrugged and continued dancing with the brunette.  She'd seen Faith at the club before and had thought that interacting with her would be slightly easier.  

Three songs later, the redhead moved in closer to Faith and the brunette girl allowed it to happen.

"You wanna get outta here?"

Faith hesitated a moment before nodding her consent.  She shifted easily into her old persona of a seductress and wrapped an arm around the girls waist.  The walked out the front door, Faith smirking at the bouncer who grinned and shook his head.  Faith was back.

------------------------

The redhead, who Faith had learnt was named Jamie, slipped out of the bed and began dressing.  She slipped into her skirt and shirt, and leant over the bed, kissing Faith deeply.  The brunette girl responded instinctively, but with no real feeling behind it.

"Can I see you again?" Jamie asked.

Faith nodded and began pulling her own clothes on.  As soon as she was changed, she grabbed a pen from the hotel desk and wrote down her cell phone number.  Jamie took the number and pocketed it.  The girls left the room, ignoring the strange stares they received from the two young men manning the reception desk.  

They walked in silence until Faith reached her own street.  She stopped and looked at Jamie, trying to conjure up feelings similar to those she'd felt with Buffy, but nothing came.  She smiled weakly as Jamie kissed her cheek.

"See you at the club tomorrow, maybe?" Jamie asked.

Faith nodded, idly wondering if she would even bother showing up.  Somehow she knew she would, just to try and replicate what she'd felt five days before.  With a departing wave, Faith disappeared into the night.

------------------------

Three weeks later, Faith was still 'seeing' Jamie.  She couldn't quite comprehend that even after three weeks, she had yet to feel even a tenth of what she'd felt from just hugging Buffy.  She didn't love Jamie, she could only barely tolerate her sometimes.  She knew basically nothing about the girl, and Jamie definitely had no idea of Faith's extra curricular activities.  

She knew that Jamie felt basically the same towards her, but neither was willing to break it off, mainly because they did have fun together.  They were compatible in bed and that was all that mattered to Jamie.  

Joanna was surprised that Faith had been in a monogamous relationship, though she could basically understand what Faith was trying, and failing to do.  She knew that Faith missed Buffy, and when she received a phone call from Buffy's Watcher, Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, asking for their help on the hellmouth, she agreed to leave immediately.

Explaining to Faith that their help was required in California had been easy enough.  Faith wasn't really attached to anyone or anything in Boston and had no real reason to stay there.  

Joanna decided to forego telling Faith about Buffy being the other Slayer, instead explaining about a Slayer, who she referred to simply as Miss Summers needed help with an event called an Ascension, wherein a human wanted to transform themselves into a pure demon.

Faith had been curious about the other Slayer, not really understanding why there were two when it was only meant to be 'one girl in all the world'.  Joanna explained about the other girl's momentary death that had activated the Calling of a second Slayer.  Faith wasn't entirely sure how to take that piece of information, but she decided it wasn't an entirely bad thing.  She was actually looking forward to meeting the other Slayer and comparing stories.

Faith had spent most of the flight staring at Buffy's phone number.  She'd memorised and dialled the number more times than she could count, but not once had she ever spoken to the blonde girl.  There had been so many nights that she'd stared blankly at her cell phone, wanting to dial and spend the next few hours just talking to the other girl, but she'd known that conversing with someone and never seeing them would only end up hurting them both.

"So, how close to LA is this small town hellmouthy thing?" Faith asked.

"It's two hours away," Joanna replied.  "And the town is Sunnydale."

Faith nodded and Joanna thanked the Powers That Be that Buffy hadn't told Faith what town she'd been from.  The Slayer wondered whether or not Joanna would approve of her taking time out after the Ascension to visit Buffy.  Even if it took several hours on a bus, she'd be more than willing to just see Buffy again.

"Cool."

------------------------

The Scooby Gang sat around the table in the library, pouring over books that told them almost nothing about the upcoming Ascension.  All they knew was that it would be on Graduation Day which was six weeks away.  Wesley entered the room, looking entirely too smug, and the group turned to look at him, wondering what exactly he'd just done.

"Good news people," he began.  "I've spoken with the Council-"

"Oh joy," Buffy said dryly.

Wesley glared at her and continued.  "They suggested that we request for the second Slayer to join us here on the hellmouth until after the Ascension."

Buffy froze in her seat.  Her heart rate picked up furiously.  She'd been wanting to see, to talk to Faith for the last three weeks, and going without the other Slayer had been incredibly difficult.  If Faith was coming to Sunnydale, that meant they'd finally be able to discover what was between them.

"When are they getting here?" Buffy asked.

"Tonight," Wesley replied.  

Buffy grinned until Wesley looked at her inquisitively.  She sobered and went back to her book, trying to keep from bouncing in her seat with excitement.  Willow noticed the subtle change in her friend and wanted to ask what Buffy was so excited about, but with Wesley in the room, she didn't get the chance.

Buffy could only pretend to read for the rest of their research time, her mind running over the many different conversations that could occur between the two girls.  She could only hope that Faith wouldn't hold it against her for not telling her the truth about being a Slayer.

----

TBC…

Many many thanks for all your reviews!  Fully awesome!  (Or as Sarah would say 'Fully sick mate…") Glad you're all still enjoying them.  (Oh, and Vix, can you PLEASE update Ink Blots?)

S&K.


	14. Reunion

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: REUNION

(Cordy and Xander are still together for the sake of this fic.  Mainly cos Cordy's just so damn funny and tactless.)

Evening fell and Buffy found herself glancing at the clock every few seconds.  She was convinced that she was going to have a heart attack if her heartbeat continued at the frantic pace it had been set at earlier that afternoon.  She wanted to get up and pace the library, but knew that such an action would only bring about questions from her already curious friends.  

She was very literally on the edge of her seat, her fingers playing idly with the cross around her neck.  She'd long ago given up pretending to research and had even been too nervous to eat the pizza that Xander had gone to pick up an hour ago.  

She heard footsteps in the hallway and shot out of her seat, earning curious glances from Xander, Cordelia, Willow and Oz.  Giles and Wesley were too absorbed in their reading to notice the Slayer's unusual behaviour.  

Buffy began pacing in front of Giles' office, her body wracked with nervous energy.  The doors swung open and Buffy stood completely still, staring at the two women who entered.  She grinned widely, feeling the connection to Faith return.  

Faith felt something familiar tickling the edges of her sense.  She hadn't felt anything like this since Buffy had been in Boston.  She looked around the library, noticing the people at the table, rather than the blonde who was standing by the office door.  Faith glanced at the redhead, wondering how someone who looked so incredibly meek and non-violent could be the other Slayer.

A slight movement by the office doorway caught Faith's attention and she froze completely, her eyes locking with the small blonde girl's.  "B."  

------------------------

"Welcome to the Hellmouth," Joanna whispered, noticing the immediate connection between Buffy and Faith.  She couldn't contain the smile that came to her face at seeing the two girls in the same room as each other.  She knew that the two girls had something profound between them, and Joanna wasn't about to try and separate them.

Willow and Xander looked up curiously, Xander's mouth dropping open as he saw the gorgeous brunette leather-clad girl standing in the doorway.  He followed the girl's gaze and idly wondered why the Slayer was staring so intently at Buffy.  

Faith finally stepped forward, feeling slightly disoriented.  She couldn't quite fathom what exactly was going on.  Wesley stood and walked to the other Watcher and Slayer.  Joanna and Wesley shook hands politely, and Joanna pushed Faith further into the library so that the two Slayers were only a few feet apart, still staring at each other.

"Faith, this is Buffy Summers, Buffy, this is Faith Keller," Wesley said, proud that he was one of the only Watchers in the history of the Council to meet two active Slayers and introduce them to each other.  

Joanna subtly pushed Faith forward, the sudden jab startling Faith and sending her stumbling towards the blonde.  Buffy stepped forward to make sure Faith didn't fall to the floor, and the moment their hands connected, the brunette Slayer knew.  What they'd felt in Boston was still there.  Faith straightened and searched Buffy's face incredulously.

"You're a Slayer?"

"One of them," Buffy replied.  

Faith swallowed hard and tried to comprehend the new pieces of information that she'd just been given.  

"So…you knew who I was?"

"Technically," the blonde admitted.  

"And you didn't say anything."

"Not exactly…"

"So…you lied to me."

"I wouldn't exactly call it 'lying' as such…"

"Then what the hell would you call it?!"

"Well it was more of an omission if you wanna be precise."

Faith scoffed angrily and pulled her hand away from Buffy's, instantly feeling the loss of their connection.  She looked away, trying to control her anger.  She was very close to hitting the blonde girl for lying to her.  She saw their curious audience seated at the table and made a quick decision.

She grabbed Buffy's arm and pulled her roughly to the doorway, whispering harshly so the others wouldn't hear them.

"Just tell me one thing…did what we have mean anything to you?" Faith asked angrily.

"You asked me that when I left, and my answer is still the same.  I never lied about my feelings for you," Buffy replied honestly.  "I wanted to tell you about the Slayer thing, but I…"

"You what?" Faith asked, her voice slightly calmer now that she knew that Buffy hadn't just been pretending to care about her.

"I don't know, I just couldn't.  I didn't want you to think that I was just hanging out with you because I wanted to protect you," Buffy explained.

"Protect me?" Faith asked, her voice rising again.  "What made you think you needed to protect me from anything?"

"Uh, hello," Buffy said sarcastically.  "You do remember that week right?"

Faith gave her an angry look that told Buffy the brunette Slayer remembered everything about that week, and probably in great detail.

"You do remember being sick right?"

Faith's anger dissipated instantly.  She hadn't really given too much thought to the illness portion of that week.  Joanna had explained it away as simply the flu, and Faith hadn't questioned it since then.  But Buffy was now making it sound as though there had been something more than the flu wrong with her.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Faith asked.

Buffy knew that Joanna had never explained the Cruciamentum, and Buffy had no plans to try and do so now.  

"I dreamt that you were gonna die.  That's why I was there at the start.  But then I got to know you and I didn't wanna leave," Buffy admitted.  

Faith cast her mind back to that week and suddenly a number of things fell into place.  She'd never been able to work out who had killed the insane brunette vampire that had been about to kill her and she'd never been able to work out how Joanna had known that she'd needed help. 

"You're the one who killed that crazy-ass vamp?" 

Buffy nodded.  "Yeah."

"So…I guess I should be saying thank you instead of yelling at'cha huh?" Faith asked with a grin.

Buffy couldn't help but smile back.  She was just glad that Faith hadn't completely lost her temper over the whole thing.

"How about a hug instead?" Buffy asked.

Faith was only too happy to comply.

The moment Faith's arms went around Buffy's waist, she felt the familiar contentment that she associated with the blonde girl rise up again.  She sighed happily and clung tightly to Buffy, suddenly realising why she'd never hurt the girl with the strength of her hugs.  It was a heady feeling, being able to hug someone with her full strength rather than holding back.  She'd never been able to do that, especially not with Jamie…

Faith pulled back suddenly, an overwhelming feeling of guilt crawling into the pits of her stomach.  Buffy looked at her, wondering what had just happened.

"Faith?" 

"B…I…there was…god I'm sorry," Faith whispered.

Buffy stepped forward and touched faith's arm gently, her other hand coming up to touch Faith's cheek.  She knew what Faith was going to say, and knew that she didn't need to hear Faith admit it aloud.  Whilst she was hurt that Faith had been with someone else, but she also knew that they had never expected to see each other again.  Buffy also had known from what little she'd seen of Faith before that Faith had never really been in a monogamous relationship before.  And whilst it hurt that Faith had been with someone else, she wasn't surprised by it.

"You were with someone else," Buffy surmised.

Faith nodded, unable to look Buffy in the eyes.  Buffy, completely forgetting her surroundings, stepped forward and kissed Faith's forehead gently.  

"S'okay," Buffy whispered.

Faith pulled the blonde girl into another hug, just enjoying the feeling of Buffy being in her arms once more.

It was at this point that Xander's curiousity got the better of him.

"So, either of you two ladies care to explain?" Xander called.

Faith and Buffy pulled apart reluctantly.  Buffy sighed and took Faith by the hand, pulling her gently to the table where her friends and her Watchers sat.

"Everyone, this is Faith," Buffy introduced.  "Faith, meet Willow the witch, Oz our resident werewolf, Xander, our…uh…well, Xander, Cordelia the Prom Queen, and my Watcher, Giles."  Wesley coughed pointedly.  "Oh, and that's Wes."  _The Weasel…_

Faith waved, feeling a little self-conscious at being under the scrutiny of Buffy's best friends.  Willow gave her a small wave, Cordelia glared, not liking the attention that Xander was giving the other Slayer.  Oz remained neutral as ever, whilst Giles shook Faith's hand.

"So, you're Faith huh?" Xander asked.  "We've heard a lot about you."

Faith looked at Buffy, her eyebrows raised curiously.  Buffy just shrugged and blushed a little, shaking her head almost imperceptibly, silently telling Faith that she hadn't explained that part of their relationship.

"Likewise," Faith replied.

Wesley, ever the observant Watcher, finally realised something.

"Hold on a moment…how do you two know each other?" he asked.

The Scooby Gang all rolled their eyes and chose to ignore him as always.

"And you're a Slayer," Xander said.  "I like that in a woman."

Buffy and Cordelia simultaneously cuffed him upside the head, eliciting a yelp from the brown haired boy.  

"Uh, excuse me," Wesley interjected.  "I believe I was asking something."

"And I believe you were being ignored," Buffy retorted.

Wesley bristled at the insult.  He couldn't believe that his Slayer was being so impertinent towards him, especially in front of another Watcher.  He pulled himself up to his full height and straightened his tie self-importantly.

"By order of the Watcher's Council, I demand you answer me at once."

Buffy looked at him, wondering whether he was being serious or not.  He was.  She scowled and rolled her eyes.

"Went to Boston, met Faith, end of story," Buffy explained succinctly.  

"When?  Why?  How did you know where the other Slayer was?" Wesley asked.

"You remember that nice little trip I took to visit my dad?" Buffy asked.  "That would be your 'when'.  As to why…well, my reasons were my own.  Oh, and the 'how'…well, let's just say you really need to keep your confidential files a little more confidential."

Wesley looked to Giles, knowing that the only files he had on Faith had been in Giles' care with strict instructions to not open them.  

"You gave her those files," Wesley accused.

Giles just shrugged casually.  "I must have given her the wrong folder.  Terribly sorry."

Joanna stifled her laughter.

Wesley narrowed his eyes angrily and stalked into the office, opening up Faith's profile.  He mentally calculated when Buffy would have been in Boston.

"You went there for Faith's Cruciamentum," Wesley accused the blonde Slayer.

Joanna and Buffy both winced.  Giles noticed immediately and walked towards the office.  

"My chrysanthemum?  Why am I getting flowers?" Faith asked.

"Well, you see when a Slayer turns-"

Wesley's voice was cut off by Giles slamming the office door shut and locking it.  Buffy shot a thankful grin to Giles.

"Blessed silence," Giles said quietly.

"Not if you count the banging on the glass," Buffy said dryly.

"Well, it's better than his voice I dare say," Giles returned.

Joanna couldn't keep her laughter to herself.  She looked at Giles and shook her head in mock disapproval.

"It's nice to see you haven't changed a smidge Ripper," Joanna said.

The Scoobies all looked at the two Watchers curiously, the name Ripper all making them instantly inquisitive.

"Wait, you guys know each other?" Faith asked.

Joanna and Giles both nodded.  "We knew each other at the Academy," Giles explained.  "We were rather good friends."

It didn't go unnoticed by either Faith or Buffy that Joanna's cheeks went a slight shade of pink.  The two Slayers exchanged a glance with each other before turning to look at their respective Watcher's with their eyebrows raised.  Giles coughed uncomfortably and reached up to fiddle with his glasses.

Faith decided to take pity on her Watcher, making a mental note to question Joanna endlessly about her association with Giles when they were in a more private setting.

"Well, that's cool and all, but I'm still wanting to know about that whole flower deal," Faith said.

Giles and Joanna shared a look.  Giles could sympathise completely with the other Watcher.  He'd hated the betrayal that he'd been forced into, and he knew that Joanna didn't want to explain her own role in the test that the Slayers were given.

"It's this whole mystical test thingy.  Not really a big," Buffy lied, wanting to keep Faith's relationship with her Watcher intact.

Xander went to say something, but was kicked by three different legs.  He wisely kept quiet and rubbed his leg, trying to regain feeling in his ankle.

Faith seemed to accept the answer, not really wanting to dwell on something that had been three weeks ago.  She was more concerned with other thoughts that included the blonde girl at her side.

"So, B…you think maybe you could show me the hotspots around here?"

----

Slightly revised to add a little bit of implied back story between Jo and Giles.  Awww…old people mush. ;)

S&K.


	15. Hungry And

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: HUNGRY AND… 

Buffy staked the last of the seven vampires who attacked them, assuming that they would be easy pickings.  Faith brushed herself off and looked at Buffy, both of them panting slightly.  They'd ended up outside the Bronze and the music was calling to both of the Slayers.  They walked in and weaved their way through the crowd, spotting the Scoobies seated on the couches on the far side of the room.  

"Hey guys," Buffy greeted them enthusiastically, offering the last seat to Faith and then perching herself on the arm of the chair, her hand resting close to Faith's shoulders, her finger barely touching the other girls skin.

The Scoobies returned the greeting in some form or another to both Buffy and Faith, all of them realising that this was the happiest they'd seen their friend in a while.  

"Any vamp action tonight?" Willow asked.

"A few," Buffy replied.  "The world is now a safer place."

Willow smiled looked towards Faith.

"So, what did you think of Sunnydale?" 

"You know for a place that's got the word sunny in it's name, you've got far too many graveyards," Faith replied.

Willow wasn't quite sure what to make of the new Scooby member, and chose to not respond at all, except to nod in agreement.  

A waitress walked to the table and deposited a basket of six muffins on the table.  The Scoobies nodded their thanks and each reached for one, Faith biting into hers ravenously.  She looked at Buffy and felt the need to see the blonde girl blush.

"Isn't it crazy how slayin' makes you hungry and horny?" 

Buffy looked at Faith incredulously, her cheeks suddenly flaming bright red.  Faith grinned and winked at her, loving the startled look that had come over Buffy.  The Scoobies all looked at Buffy in shock, waiting for her reply.  They weren't sure whether they wanted her to agree or disagree.

Buffy was silent for too long, and Willow found herself incredibly curious of the answer.

"Is that true?" the redhead asked quietly.

Buffy fumbled for an answer.  "Uh…well…I mean, it's…it's not like that…"

"I'm just teasin' B," Faith said, knowing that Buffy was having trouble answering.  She stood suddenly and grabbed Buffy's hand.  "C'mon, we're gonna dance."

Buffy barely had time to drop her muffin back into the basket before being dragged onto the dance floor.

------------------------

Buffy knew the instant Faith led her by the hand onto the dance floor that this would be different from dancing at The Helix. Here they would dance in front of the Scoobies and Buffy was very aware of that. Somehow the thought didn't bother her though – she was just so thrilled that things between herself and Faith were on the up. For the first time, the thought of her and Faith being _her and Faith_ rested comfortably in Buffy's mind. 

The music, as always, bought the sister-Slayers together. It was the kind that built and built in intensity – much like her relationship with Faith, Buffy thought wryly. Both girls harnessed the beat and shaped their bodies to it like tuned instruments.

At first they danced a little apart, not automatically presuming the same closeness they had achieved in Boston. Buffy watched Faith dance. There was no denying it, every part of her was beautiful and somehow aggressively charming. From her olive skin to her confidence, there was nothing about Faith that Buffy didn't find all at once insanely attractive…even her hands. Faith's hands were buttery smooth, like the rest of her, and hadn't become hardened with the Slaying.  Buffy could remember a time when she told Willow that _fixation on insignificant details was a major crush sign_ and Buffy knew she had gone far beyond that. 

Buffy wondered if Faith looked at her that way too. She wasn't sure if the attraction between them was just emotional, the connection of an intense friendship. She knew what she felt and it was definitely more than an intangible psychological tie…there were certain _stirrings_ that Faith inspired. Although it freaked Buffy out somewhat, it didn't make her so afraid as to run.

Fifteen minutes or so had passed, and both girls looked up at the same moment. They grinned and moved closer. There was something happening here that both were happy to jump into with both feet. Now there was no escaping, or even a desire to do so.

Buffy slid one hand around Faith's waist, and when she felt Faith bend into her touch she slid her other hand around to rest in the small of her back. Something fluttered in her stomach and her breathing became a little faster. Faith's wide smile broadened and she reciprocated Buffy's move by locking her arms around Buffy's neck. They danced stomach to stomach, chest to chest, soft skin on soft skin.

Willow and Xander traded looks. Xander his "what-the-?" face to Willow who just shrugged and bit her lip in surprise. Neither one said anything but instead trained their attention back to the dance floor where the Slayers now danced body to body.

Buffy raised the courage to look in Faith's eyes. That was such a simple thing to do, but it was excruciatingly hard. Non-verbal communication was a powerful thing and as Buffy brushed a lock of hair once again from Faith's cheek she almost lost her nerve to hold Faith's gaze. The brunette slayer didn't falter for a second. Just as Buffy went to look away, Faith lifted her hand to hold Buffy's chin level, so that their eyes still met. For some exhilarating reason she felt fearless in the blonde Slayer's arms and she wouldn't allow Buffy to take the easy way out by averting her eyes.

Their foreheads once again dipped to meet, and Buffy sighed as emotions battled in her mind.

Faith knew what she wanted to ask. Although she felt unflinchingly brave in the present, she knew what she would do and say now would affect their future. She wanted to get it right.

"B?"

"Yeah?" Buffy replied. It was suitably casual, and the words didn't come out all strangled like she was sure they would.

"Can I ask you something?" Faith said, attempting to breathe at least a little. She was sure that emergency CPR wasn't a turn-on, and tried to remember that Buffy was probably just as nervous about what was going to happen as she was.

Faith took a deep breath and summoned her courage. For a Slayer, who went around being all brave-like on near permanent basis, something so simple should be easy. It was just words. Just words. 

"Can I kiss you?" Faith allowed herself to breath out. There, it was said, but now she had to wait for a response which she realised may be even harder.

Buffy knew instinctively the moment Faith had said her name that this was what she was going to ask. She'd known, but she still hadn't been fully prepared for how good it would feel to hear Faith say it aloud. All the clichés came true and she felt something good and overwhelming rise in her chest as she tried to regain normal thought.

Moments passed and they continued to sway together. By now, Faith had broken Buffy's gaze out of the pure sheer agony that she felt still looking into them as Buffy deliberated. She chose instead to focus on her lips, and fought her instinctive self, that screamed for her to kiss her without a reply. No. She wanted Buffy to decide and she wanted it to be mutual. Faith didn't think she could stand the aftermath if Buffy didn't act wholeheartedly. To hear the words _it was a mistake_ would be too cruel, and would shatter the bliss that had been building between them.

"There's just so much at stake, Faith…" Buffy murmured softly. Instantly she realized her unintentional pun and giggled.

Faith laughed, glad for the tension relief. "Really, no punning while we're dancing, girl. Save it for the vamps." 

Buffy grinned. The joke hadn't done a thing to distract either girl from the matter at hand but it had relaxed them a little. Faith tentatively raised her hand from where it rested on Buffy's hip to the blonde girl's jawline, tracing her finger over her cheek and resting her palm there. 

Buffy inhaled deeply, closed her eyes and decided what she wanted. And it was Faith.

Buffy knew that saying yes wouldn't suffice so she lifted one hand, stroked Faith's hair once and gently brushed her lips against Faith's.  Faith's eyes closed and she brought a hand up to tangle in Buffy's hair, slowly increasing the pressure of the kiss.

Faith couldn't believe that this one kiss from Buffy was affecting her more deeply than every other sexual encounter she had ever had in the last few years.  She'd never felt this close to someone before, and they were barely touching.  A wildly random thought flitted through her mind and she wondered what sort of emotional response would be evoked if and when they made love.

Faith pulled back, much to Buffy's dismay.  The blonde opened her eyes and saw the slightly glazed over look on Faith's face.  She was just grateful that Faith's retreat hadn't been as rejection, merely a chance for the other girl to catch her breath.  Their foreheads touched again and Faith could only think of two words to sum up what had just happened.

"Holy shit."

Buffy smiled and pressed a gentle nipping kiss to Faith's lips.  "I'll second that."

Faith was completely breathless. Anyone would think she'd never kissed someone before. In a way, it was as though she was experiencing it for the first time, because Buffy was mind-blowingly different to anyone she'd ever kissed before. Her mouth was softer, and the way Buffy held her as she kissed her was neither possessive nor carnal. It may have been that for the first time there she was being touched in love rather than in lust.

Buffy had no desire to ruin this moment with any more words. There was only one thing she wanted to do.

She leaned forwards, one hand at the nape of Faith's neck, gently pulling her mouth towards her own. Faith closed her eyes and slowly savoured the feeling of lips and tongues exploring, her chest rising and falling more and more quickly. Her mouth curved into a smile, breaking the deep kiss, and she gently bit Buffy's lower lip.

Buffy moved her lips across from Faith's mouth and across her cheek, planting small kisses on the way. She slowly kissed Faith's neck, lingering there as the dark-haired slayer arched her back and leaned her head to the side to give Buffy better access. She smiled at the irony as Buffy bit her neck, sucking gently at the skin and leaving a dark bloom. A Slayer, most happily bitten. 

Back at the Scooby table, the Gang just looked at each other, their mouths agape.  Cordelia was the one to break their stunned silence.

"So when did Buffy get gay?"

-----

Awww, the kiss.  Finally.  Took 15 bloody chapters, but there you have it.  ;)  Feedback is greatly appreciated (yes, that was a hint by the way…)

S&K.

(Shameless plug, go read A Witch's Family in the BTVS Crossovers section…lalala)

K.


	16. Aftermath

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: AFTERMATH

Several songs later, the Slayers made their way back to the Scooby table hand-in-hand.  Buffy was nervous as anything, wondering what sort of a response the Scoobies would give to her sudden announcement of being with Faith in a more than friendly way.  

Willow shifted uncomfortably, not entirely certain how to take this new revelation.  She'd never really thought about her reaction to Buffy being in a relationship with anyone other than Angel, and to see her now with the dark-haired beauty was making Willow more than a little uncomfortable.  She knew, however, that she would lose Buffy's friendship if she didn't show herself to be completely and utterly supportive of the entire situation.

Where Willow was unsure of how to react, Xander had only one thought running through his mind.  It was as though a dream come true.  He'd had several twisted fantasies involving Buffy, Willow and Cordelia, but he'd never thought that any of the girls would be interested in doing anything of the sort.  Obviously he'd been wrong.  Besides, anyone who wasn't the dark and brooding vampire was alright in Xander's books.

Oz, as always, was cool with it, as long as it made the Slayer happy.

Cordelia could only think of how much damage this was going to do to her already fragile reputation.  Not only was she hanging out with a group of outcasts, but now one of them was openly gay.  

Buffy and Faith sat down, Faith flopping heavily onto the couch as Buffy sat down a little more cautiously.  Faith was tempted to yank Buffy into her lap, but she knew how much the Scoobies approval meant to the blonde Slayer.  She wasn't about to go too far before Buffy's friends had expressed their opinions.  Faith could only hope that Buffy's friends opinions wouldn't hold too much sway over what would then happen between them.

"So, uh…it's good music tonight, huh?" Willow said inanely.

"Can we come here with you two more often?" Xander asked, a grin on his face.

Buffy blushed fiercely while Faith just laughed.  Cordelia hit him again.  She could see Xander's fascination with the two girls was going to get very old very fast.  

"You know as nice as it is to see you smiling instead of being the winner of Miss Mopefest '99, I gotta say, if you do that at school, I won't be associating with you ever again," Cordelia announced.

Buffy just rolled her eyes.  "However shall I survive?"

It was Oz who finally asked the simple question that all of the Scoobies had been dancing around.  "So, you're together?"

Buffy and Faith exchanged a look before turning back to the werewolf and nodding in unison.  "Yeah, we are," Buffy replied.

"If you two ever feel the burning desire to record anything, I can lend you a camera," Xander volunteered.  "Free of charge and everything."

He was ignored by everyone, and Buffy turned her attention to her other –silent- best friend.  Buffy could tell that Willow was having some problems with what had just happened.  The blonde Slayer turned to her new girlfriend…she gave a mental jump of excitement at the thought…and squeezed Faith's hand.  She stood up and gently tapped Willow's shoulder.

The redhead was brought out of her thoughts and looked up in surprise.  She saw Buffy looking down at her, silently asking for Willow to have a conversation with her away from the Scoobies.  Willow swallowed nervously and stood up, following Buffy as she led them outside into the cool night air.

The two girls found a quieter area and leant against the side of the building.  Buffy couldn't believe that she was actually fidgeting nervously.  

"So, uh…"

"So…you and Faith?" Willow asked.  "I mean…wow…that's really…uh…that's really…well, strange is the word that comes to mind.  Oh, not a bad strange.  It's a good strange.  But still strange you know."

"I know," Buffy said quietly.  "It's all pretty strange to me too."

"Are you…are you two…"

"Oh, no!  God, no Willow," Buffy exclaimed.  "I've known her for a month.  Technically only for a few days.  We haven't slept together."

Willow went bright red and shook her head emphatically.  "No!  I wasn't asking…I didn't mean.  That wasn't what I was trying to say.  At all.  Ew…mental pictures.  Not that being gay is bad.  Cos it's not.  There's nothing wrong with it, cos it's a really nice thing sometimes.  But not for me.  I mean, probably not for me.  Not that I've thought about it, cos I haven't, I mean, not really.  Not since that whole vampire skanky evil me came out, but even then I wasn't thinking…I mean…"

"Breathe Will," Buffy said.

Willow stopped and inhaled deeply.  She calmed herself down and tried to swallow her embarrassment.

"Sorry," she apologised quietly.  "What I was trying to ask, and badly apparently, was if you love her."

Buffy didn't even hesitate in her answer.  "Yeah Will, I do."

"What about Angel?" Willow asked.  "Does Faith know about him?"

"Not in the strictest sense of her having an actual clue about him at all," Buffy replied guiltily.  "We kinda never got around to talking about our significant exes." 

"But you will tell her, right?" Willow asked.

Buffy nodded.  "I guess I'll kinda have to.  Angel was a big part of my life, and…I guess he still is, what with him still being in Sunnydale and all, but…he and I can never be together.  And before you think I'm all reboundy with Faith, I'm really not.  I can't explain it, but it just…it makes sense."

Willow suddenly paled and looked at Buffy with frantic eyes.  "What about your mom?"

Buffy grimaced a little.  "Well, I figured after the whole 'by the way, I'm a Slayer' thing, she'll probably be pretty cool with just about anything."

"You hope," Willow added.

Buffy nodded.  It was her turn to pale, and Willow noticed the look of pure panic on her face.  "What?"

"We left Faith alone with Xand and Cordy."

"And Oz," Willow said.

Buffy just gave her a significant look.  "He's not the one I'm worried about."

------------------------

Xander had been unable to take his eyes off the new Slayer.  He couldn't get the image of Buffy and Faith kissing out of his head, and he wasn't sure if he wanted that mental picture gone.  

"So, how long have you and Buff been doin' the horizontal mambo?" Xander asked.

Faith was beginning to wonder why Buffy was friends with this boy.  She turned to look at Oz.

"You're a werewolf, right?" she asked.

Oz just nodded.

"So, if I sicked you on Xander during a full-moon it wouldn't technically be like I killed him, right?" Faith asked rhetorically.

Xander looked affronted by the suggestion.  Cordelia just smiled, liking the suggestion more and more.   Faith saw the smile on the Prom Queen's face and looked at her.

"So, C, you and X are dating?"

"I'm not sure why, but yes," Cordelia replied.  "And just for the record, the whole calling us by our initials thing is gonna get old pretty fast."

"Well if you guys didn't have such weird-ass names, I'd call you by 'em," Faith replied.

"She's got a point," Oz said quietly.

"See, Fuzzy's got no problems with it," Faith said.

Oz thought about the nickname for a moment before deciding to not take offence to it.  He couldn't really deny the logic behind the moniker.  

"You're gonna love meeting Angel then," Xander said.  "He's got a whole well of nicknames just begging to be used."

"A guy called Angel?" Faith asked incredulously.  "Sheesh, that's a little gay isn't it?"

"Says the gay girl," Oz quipped.

Faith grinned and couldn't help but laugh.  She knew she and Oz were going to get on very well in the future.  

"Besides, Angel's not gay," Cordelia said.

"His ex-girlfriend though…" Xander trailed off as Cordelia hit him.  "What?!  That guy turned her, and not in the vampirey sirey kinda way."

Faith was giving Xander blank looks and Cordelia knew that Buffy had neglected to tell her new…girlfriend…_weird much_…about Angel.  

"So, Faith…been the Slayer long?" Cordelia asked, tactfully changing the topic.

"Bout eight months," Faith replied.  Her eyes wandered to the door as she felt a familiar tingling sensation in her stomach.  She smiled as she saw Buffy walk through the door, Willow in tow.  She couldn't have been more glad for the rescue at that point.  Buffy's friends seemed nice enough, but left alone with them, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to play nice for much longer.

Buffy and Faith took seats beside their significant others, Buffy taking Faith's hand in hers.  The Scoobies took a moment to adjust to this sudden change before deciding that they didn't really care whom Buffy was with.   

Faith smiled, enjoying the feeling of having her hand held.  Not even with her longest relationship of three weeks had she ever had her hand held by someone.  It was a nice feeling, and she could only hope that she didn't do anything to completely screw it all up.

-----

Mega thanks for feedback!

SNEAK PREVIEW: 

Buffy didn't have a chance to really process what had just happened, and before she could regroup, Faith threw herself at Angel, punching and kicking viciously, disregarding the other vampires and whaling on the vamp who had knocked Buffy to the ground.

S&K.


	17. Angels & Slayers

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: ANGELS AND SLAYERS

After a quick check-in with Giles and Joanna, and a quick phone call to Buffy's mother, asking if she would mind having Faith stay in their spare bedroom, the two Slayers made their way home, taking a 'short-cut' through the cemetery.  Of course, as always in Sunnydale, the short-cut quickly turned into a battle field.

Two Slayers against ten vampires hardly seemed fair.  For the vampires that is.  Faith and Buffy, though never having Slayed together before, worked in perfect synchronicity.  They fought back-to-back, both of them feeling the adrenaline rush that always came with Slaying.

"So, Willow was cool with everything, right?" Faith asked, ducking a punch and slamming her own fist into one of her many attackers, sending it stumbling towards Buffy.

"Well, there was a lot of babbling, but, yeah.  I think she's alright with it," Buffy replied, staking the vampire that Faith had just assailed.

Buffy was momentarily distracted from the conversation, three vampires deciding to collaborate their efforts.  She blocked a punch from one of her attackers, but didn't move fast enough to stop herself from being kicked in the stomach from another.  She steeled herself against the pain, refusing to double over and give her attackers the advantage.  She grabbed one of the vamp's fists and propelled it into it's accomplice, sending the two vampires tumbling to the ground.  She quickly staked the third of the trio, before checking over her shoulder to see how Faith was coping.

The darker Slayer was completely caught up in the fight.  With a grin on her face, she put her full strength into the fight, ensuring that none of the attacking vampires would get away with their lives…so to speak.  She staked another of the vamps and turned her attention back to Buffy.

"What about your mom?" Faith asked.  "She's all five-by-five with the whole…'sleeping arrangements'?" 

Buffy assumed that Faith was not referring to their separate quarters within the Summers' household for the next few days.

"Well…that's kinda the thing," Buffy began, staking another of her attackers as she contemplated how exactly to word her answer.  "She doesn't exactly, well…y'know.  _Know_.  About the us that is the usness of us."

Faith paused, mid-stake, the vampire failing to halt as it ran towards her, impaling itself on her stake and crumbling into dust.  

"Oh."  _Damn_.  She'd been so hoping to get the short blonde girl into bed.  

"I'm gonna tell her," Buffy assured the other Slayer.  "I just figured that she should at least meet you first.  And then maybe find out about the whole 'gayness of me' thing, and then…then I'll tell her.  Hopefully when you're wearing far less leather."

"I can't see you telling your mom while I'm naked B."

Buffy was fairly certain that Faith lived to make her blush.  

"I was aiming more for a skirt maybe," Buffy qualified.

Faith looked down at her clothes and wrinkled her nose.  She suddenly had the horrifying image of wearing a pink, frilly sundress, simply to please Buffy's mom.  

"But, your other suggestion does have a certain appeal.  Nowhere near my mom of course, but…" she trailed off as she thrust her stake into another vampire's heart.

If Faith was the blushing type, she might have gone red from Buffy's comment.  As it was, she'd just been driven to an extremely appealing mental place.

"Well, I dunno about a skirt B.  It's kinda not really me, y'know," Faith commented, driving her own stake into a vampire who had tried to catch her off guard by lunging towards her.   

Buffy was suddenly tackled from behind as a crossbow bolt flew through the air in the exact place she'd just been standing.  She rolled and looked at her 'attacker'.

"Angel."

She didn't have a chance to really process what had just happened, and before she could regroup, Faith threw herself at Angel, punching and kicking viciously, disregarding the other vampires and whaling on the vamp who had knocked Buffy to the ground.

Angel pushed Faith backwards, jumping to his feet and trying to defend himself against Faith's attacks.  The remaining four vampires saw their opportunity and ran into the night, not particularly wanting to lose to the Slayer, her newest companion, or her vampiric lap-dog.

"Would you _stop_!" he yelled angrily, restraining himself from hitting her back.  

"Hello!  You vampire, me Slayer.  In case you didn't notice, there's this whole thing where we're mortal enemies," Faith replied snarkily.  

Angel shot a look to a very stunned Buffy.  "Little help here?"

Faith completely missed the exchange between Slayer and Vampire, and delivered a stunning kick to Angel's crotch which had the master Vampire howling and falling to his knees.  She went to deliver the final killing blow, her stake raised.  Buffy finally pulled herself out of her stupor and rushed towards Faith, grabbing her by the wrist.

Faith gave Buffy a look of sheer confusion.  "He's a vampire," she protested.

"I'm not evil!" Angel replied, struggling to get to his feet.  He found a nearby headstone and leant against it, wondering if Buffy would think he was a complete wuss if he slunk off in pain.  

"He's really not," Buffy said.  "Faith, this is Angel.  Angel, meet Faith the Vampire Slayer."

Faith looked at Buffy, one eyebrow raised sceptically.  

"Care to explain?"

"It's a long story," Buffy said.

"I've got a soul," Angel explained.

"Apparently not that long."

"A soul?"  Faith repeated.

Angel nodded.  Buffy had given him a rambling explanation several weeks ago about the newest Slayer.  He'd been able to gather that something had happened between the two girls, and whilst Angel had seethed with jealousy, a part of him was still happy for Buffy.  They'd split up because he could never give her the things she deserved, and if Buffy was happy with Faith, then Angel was happy for her.  Of course, that didn't mean that he wouldn't prefer to be the person that she turned to for comfort.  He sighed, knowing without a doubt that with Faith now in town, he had truly lost Buffy for good.

"It's this whole thing with a gypsy curse," Buffy explained.  "He's good.  His soul's…well, not exactly permanent, but…it's not going anywhere."

"Why is that not exactly comforting?" Faith asked.  "And if that sucker ain't permanent, then…what?  It just comes and goes every so often?  Should I be worrying about that?"

Angel gave the newest Slayer a wry smile.  "More like, I come, it goes," he dead-panned.

Buffy's mouth opened in shock, and she turned to stare at him, a look of complete and utter mortification on her face.  "Did you just…oh you _so_ did not just say that."

Faith was now truly lost.  She looked between the two of them and felt everything click into place.  The way they acted around each other was far too familiar, and the way that Buffy was now blushing again gave it all away.

"Holy shit B, you slept with a _vamp?_" Faith exclaimed loudly.

"Once.  One time.  One vamp.  And he's got a soul," Buffy protested.

Faith just shook her head in disbelief.  And she thought she'd had some strange sexual encounters over the years.  

"Yeah but still…he's technically dead B," Faith said.

"Hey, dead guy still standing right here," Angel said.  "And it's not like Buffy just goes around sleeping with random vampires."  He paused.  "Right?"

Buffy rolled her eyes.  "Yeah, me and Spike were having a passionate affair.  A real, bringing the house down type of fling."

Angel smirked derisively, shaking his head at the possibility of Buffy and Spike ever being together.  It was inconceivable.

Faith was still having a hard time wrapping her mind around what was being implied by the conversation.

"So, wait, wait.  Are you telling me that if you…and her…do _that_, your soul…"

"That would be the _goes_ part of the comes and goes," Buffy finished.

"Uh huh," she said slowly.  "I guess that kinda screws things around for you guys, huh?"

"Interesting wording, but, yeah…"

Faith suddenly felt horribly insecure.  It wasn't something that she'd ever felt before, and she found that she _really_ didn't enjoy the feeling.  

"So now that there's…what was it, the usness of us…the two of you…and the youness of you and all that…your not gonna get with the going of the soul, right?" Faith asked.  

"Oh no…no, no, no, no, no.  No usness with me and him.  That way lies badness," Buffy replied.  

Angel couldn't help but sigh at the finality in Buffy's voice.  

"And on that note, I think I'll leave you two ladies to your own devices," Angel said.  He smiled softly at Buffy.  "Be safe."

Buffy nodded and watched as Angel slunk into the darkness.  Faith turned to look at Buffy.

"Y'know, if it weren't for the whole vamp thing, I'd think you had pretty good taste."

----

Ooo, much thanks for all your reviews!! Keep reading and reviewing pliz! We really appreciate your feedback.

SNEAK PREVIEW:

Buffy grabbed a towel from the closet and walked back to Faith.  She handed it to the other girl, expecting for the door to close.  Instead, Faith hooked the towel around Buffy's neck, grinning all the while, and forcibly drew the girl into the bathroom, closing the door behind them.

S&K.


	18. The Watchers

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: THE WATCHERS

"Any luck with finding an apartment?" Giles asked casually as he placed a tray of tea on the coffee table, moving aside several ancient tomes to ensure that he didn't spill any liquid on his precious books.

Joanna looked up at the other Watcher and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you so keen to get rid of me Ripper?" she asked with a half-smile on her face.

"N-no…of course not.  I simply meant that-"

"Calm down," Joanna said, smirking at the flustered man.  She was surprised to see that she could still ruffle her old friends feathers so well.  "I was teasing.  And it seems that property in Sunnydale isn't as cheap as it used to be.  Something to do with the death rates decreasing considerably."

Giles nodded and settled himself on the couch beside the other Watcher.  Joanna had been staying in his spare room for the last eight days, and had yet to find a suitable apartment that would be convenient for Faith and herself to live in.  

"I'd like to get Faith settled in fairly soon though," Joanna continued.  "It wouldn't do for her to get too settled within the Summers household.  As much as she might enjoy staying with Buffy, Mrs Summers may be against it as soon as she finds out about the two of them."

"You really believe that Mrs…uh, Joyce will be against them?" Giles asked.

"Well…considering I've never actually met the woman, I couldn't really say, but, a lot of mothers aren't particularly accepting of that sort of thing," Joanna explained.

Giles looked at Joanna curiously, his head cocked to the side, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"You don't approve of Buffy and Faith?" he asked.

"No, no, that's not what I meant at all.  You only have to look at those two girls to understand how much they care for each other, but…you have to bear it in mind that in small towns, people can be very close-minded," Joanna replied.  

"I suppose that's true enough.  And Joyce didn't seem to be very comfortable with Buffy dating Angel, and for all outwardly appearances, he was just a normal young man," Giles explained.  "Of course, when Joyce found out that Angel was actually a vampire who occasionally was a blood-sucking sociopath, that could make one very wary of their daughters suitors.  Then again, considering Faith is neither a sociopath nor a soulless creature, Joyce might be slightly more accepting."

Joanna couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head at Giles' words.

"I still cannot believe that you allowed yoru Slayer to date a vampire Ripper," Joanna said.

"I think the word 'allowed' is not quite one that I would be using in connection to Buffy," Giles said, a fond smile coming to his face.  "'Unable to prevent' might perhaps be a better phrasing."

"And you wonder why the Council doesn't like you."

Giles just mock-glared at her.  He didn't particularly mind that the Council disliked him.  He had very little respect for the Council, so it worked quite well for him.

Joanna sighed and put down the book that she'd been reading through for the better part of the evening.  She rubbed at her eyes tiredly, wondering if there was any real point to their research when so far it had been fruitless.

"Nothing?" Giles asked, pointing to the book.

"Well, there's a lot of information on the breeding habits of the Gnarl demon, and the diet of Mohras, but absolutely nothing that will lead us to anything useful about the Mayor's Ascension," she replied.  "I seem to recall research being a little more appealing at the Academy than it is now.  Of course it could have been the company rather than the research itself."

Giles flushed slightly, a shy smile coming to his face.  He too could recall the many late hours spent in the Council library with Joanna, researching demons and the occult into the small hours of the morning.  

"And yet neither of us managed to get more than a pass on any of our exams," he teased.  

"And who's fault was that?" she asked protestingly.  "I recall that it was always you who kept…distracting me."

"And I don't remember you ever protesting," he returned.

She grinned at the memory and reached for another book.  She shoved it towards him forcefully, hitting him in the stomach with it.  He took it from her, deliberately brushing his fingers across hers in the slightest of touches.  She looked up and caught his gaze, startled to find that the same spark that she'd been so attracted to eight years earlier was still there after all this time.

Giles seemed to realise exactly what he'd just done and withdrew his hand quickly.  He stood in an attempt to alleviate the tension, excusing himself to retreat to the kitchen.  As was in his nature, the answer to awkward situations was fairly simple.

He filled the kettle with water and put it on to boil.

------------------------

"Y'know, I thought you were bragging when you told me that your mom made the best hot chocolate in the world," Faith said with a grin as Buffy opened the front door for them to enter.

"Would I ever lie?" Buffy asked.

Faith just turned to her and raised an eyebrow.  "D'ya really want me to answer that?"

Buffy thought about it for a moment.  "Now that I think about it…no."

Faith laughed and the two Slayers headed into the kitchen, where, predictably, Joyce was waiting for them, dressed in a smart-casual outfit, reminding Buffy that her mother wasn't going to be home for the evening.  Joyce visibly relaxed when she saw that both Slayers had returned home from their nightly Slayage alive and in tact.  She'd thought that being the mother of a Slayer was stressful, but now with two Slayers living in the one house, her worry seemed to have doubled over the last week.

When she'd first met Faith, she'd been slightly perturbed by the girl's cocky confidence.  Of course, being a full-time mother, Joyce had automatically seen through her brusque façade and had seen a gentler side of Faith that most people would have over-looked.  She had seen how well Buffy and Faith got along, and that Faith's gentler side seemed to emerge even more whenever Buffy was around.  Joyce had noticed a large change in Buffy's attitude as well.  Instead of the eternal moping that had happened over Angel, Buffy was smiling far more often, and there was an infinite amount of laughter in the house whenever the two girls were around each other.

Buffy opened the fridge and pulled out two cans of diet soda, casually throwing one to Faith who caught it with one hand and opening it in the same gesture. Both girls perched on the stools next to the kitchen counter.

"You two do remember that I'm not at home for dinner this evening, don't you?" Joyce asked when the two girls had settled into their seats.

Both Buffy and Faith nodded, their movements in eerie synchronisation.

"It's cool mom," Buffy assured her.  "We'll just order in or something."

"That sounds fine.  And the slaying went well then girls?" Joyce asked with an inquisitive but motherly tone in her voice. She wanted so badly to sound interested, but also hoped that Buffy would do her usual level best to edit the majority of the gore and danger from the tales of her exploits.

"It was awesome. There was like, five, no – six was it Buff? – vamps, all comin' at us from this crypt right. 'Cept we didn't know it was there, and one threw Buffy headfirst into a headstone, and -" Faith's diatribe was cut short by a sharp kick to her ankle that had the force of a blonde slayer behind it.

She didn't ask. Faith gathered that details weren't kosher where Joyce Summers was concerned. Message received.

"It was good Mom. Uber vampy action, but all in all, a good slay. Not too much else to say really…except one of the vamps was wearing what I swear was your white cardigan from last winter. Did you give that to the local homeless shelter? That's where all the vamps shop I guess…but it kinda gave me the wiggins…" Buffy realised she was rambling, Willow style, to cover for the total info dump that Faith had inflicted on her mom.  

Joyce laughed but was slightly troubled at hearing that her daughter had been thrown into a gravestone. She shrugged off her worry though. If her daughter had managed to survive a relationship with a two hundred and fifty year old vampire, then she was sure a slight concussion was not going to stop her. 

"Anyway, we've done our quota for the night, so you don't have to worry about us going back out," Buffy said comfortingly.  She saw her mom sigh with relief.

Faith sipped her soda and glanced down at her white singlet, noticing she had spilt some soda there when her ankle had been assaulted by Buffy.

"Oh, geez, look at me. I need a freaking bib, huh? I somehow managed to stay clean during patrol, but the second I come home…it's a whole 'nother story. If you don't mind Mrs Summers, I'm gonna head upstairs and clean up," Faith said breezily, jumping down off her stool.

"Faith, you don't have to ask to leave the room, you know," Joyce said kindly.  "This is your home for as long as you're here."

Faith gave the older woman a genuine smile, and subtly ran her fingers lightly down Buffy's spine, making the blonde girl shiver a little.  "Have fun tonight Mrs S."  With a wink and a grin, Faith walked from the room, leaving Buffy alone with her mother.

Buffy listened for Faith's footsteps on the stairs and she turned slightly pink as her mind wandered to the thought of Faith taking a hot shower. She reminded herself that she was sitting with her mother, and tried to banish the lusty wrong feelings. There would be plenty of time for that later.

"It's just so nice having Faith in the house, Buffy," Joyce said with her head to the side, and smiling at her daughter.

"Yeah, it really is," Buffy grinned back, taking a swig of her drink to cover her expression. She knew she was grinning for a completely different reason.

"You two seem to get along so well. Even you and Willow have never seemed as close as you are with Faith. It's wonderful, you two could almost be sisters."

Buffy snorted in shock and choked on her soda, spraying the brown liquid all over the counter. She coughed, trying to free the fizzy liquid from her lungs and waving off her mother who worriedly patted her back.  

When Buffy had finally recovered from nearly choking to death, she turned to look at her mother.  

"I don't know that sisters is quite the right word for us," Buffy said.

"But you two do seem to get along," Joyce commented.

Buffy nodded, knowing there was no refuting that statement.  "We're friends mom.  Good friends."

Joyce just nodded, knowing there was no real reason to argue with her daughter over the topic.

"I have to get going Buffy," Joyce said, glancing at the clock on the kitchen wall.  "Make sure you two behave yourselves."

Buffy smirked and just nodded obediently.  "We'll be good."

Joyce just nodded, grabbed her purse and walked out into the hallway getting into her car.

Buffy smiled when she heard the car door slam shut and the car drive away.  Just the thought of being alone in the house with Faith was enough to send a chill of anticipation up and down her spine.  She heard the water upstairs turn off, and after a few moments of silence, she heard Faith yelling out to her.  

"You okay?" Buffy asked as Faith poked her head around the door of the bathroom.

"I'm having a slight 'no towel' problem," Faith admitted.  

Buffy just smirked, and Faith glared at the shorter girl.  "Would you just get me a fricken towel?"

"I just love it when you take charge," Buffy said sarcastically.  "Very butch of you."

"Y'know, I got no problem standing here without no clothes, but I don't know that your mom's gonna like it too much.  So…if you don't mind, it's getting' awfully cold in here, so could you _please_ get me a fucking towel?"

"You were doing so well up until the whole fucking part," Buffy commented, turning and walking towards the linen closet.

"Really?" Faith asked, a leer on her face.  "I thought that was the best part." 

Buffy grabbed a towel from the closet and walked back to Faith.  She handed it to the other girl, expecting for the door to close.  Instead, Faith hooked the towel around Buffy's neck, grinning all the while, and forcibly drew the girl into the bathroom, closing the door behind them.

"Eep."

---

Mega thanks for the feedback!!  Here's another sneak preview for what's coming next chapter.  :)

Their eyes met and sparked. All thoughts of delay, of savouring the moment, were cast aside, and Faith possessively grabbed Buffy's hips, drawing her body up, and allowing the blonde to wrap both legs around Faith's waist. Their mouths met again, lips parting, tongues tracing intimate paths around each other.

S&K.


	19. Antics

CHAPTER NINETEEN: ANTICS

(The titles that we came up with…and threw away for obvious reasons: "When mom's away", "Nakedness in the bathroom", "Slippery when wet" [a personal favourite…] "Detoweling", "Buff in the buff", "Faith in the Buff" [cringe], "Having Faith" etc.)  

Buffy couldn't help but giggle at the sight of Faith's nude body. Whilst she knew that this was in all probability the exact moment when she should be quiet, she didn't even try to smother the girlish laughter that was erupting from her mouth. 

Faith grinned and tightened her grip on the towel, pulling Buffy closer. She didn't take Buffy's response as criticism at all. If anything, it set her at ease and made her want the blonde girl more. The sight of Buffy's open-eyed admiration and obvious nervousness at seeing Faith undressed was strangely appealing. 

"You better get dry, girl, or you'll catch your death of cold," Buffy said with a laugh, running her right palm along the beaded water on Faith's flat, tanned stomach. Instead of sliding her hand away, she shifted it slightly to rest on Faith's left hip. She forced herself to look in the dark slayer's eyes.

"Towel me dry then?" Faith grinned, tilting her head and looping the towel around Buffy's waist.

"I think that's just about possible," Buffy said in sing-song voice.

Faith pulled Buffy into a deep kiss without warning. Buffy, surprised, stiffened but then leaned into the kiss with vigour, being pulled taut against Faith's body with the towel. 

Buffy reached her hand up to Faith's cheek while she kissed her, stroking her fingers upwards to mess with her dark wet locks. Her hair had become almost curly as a result of being washed, and Buffy could smell the slight tang of the citrus hair conditioner Faith had used. 

Buffy felt herself slipping into a tangle of senses, where Faith was paramount. The taste of Faith on her lips, the smell of her newly washed hair, and the warmth glowing from her now dewy olive skin was too much for Buffy and as Faith moved to bite her neck, she let a shivery sigh escape from her mouth.

"You okay, Buff?" Faith asked, between small nips of Buffy's pale neck. She pressed her hands into the small of Buffy's back, making her body curve towards Faith, and forcing the petite blonde to throw her head back. Faith grinned and shifted her focus to Buffy's jugular. 

"More than okay," Buffy said in a small voice. Usually she had a quip for every occasion; right now she just wanted to be taken over completely and have nothing to say. To convey this to Faith she grasped the dark slayers hands and moved them just under the hem of her white singlet top, so that Faith's hands were resting on the smooth skin of her torso.

Their eyes met and they both grinned as Faith pulled the skin tight top from Buffy's body. Faith again locked her arms around Buffy's waist and began to kiss the girl's neck quickly and softly, moving ever downwards.

Buffy's breathing quickened as Faith traced the line of her white satin bra with her tongue. She angled both of her arms around Faith's neck, pulling her mouth closer to her chest and willing Faith to continue. But her face fell as Faith pulled away, releasing her grip on Buffy altogether, and stepped back.

"Is…is something wrong?" Buffy said, feeling suddenly conscious of her semi-naked state. She wasn't embarrassed, but she felt very, very exposed. Faith looked at her in a way that was overwhelmingly hungry, making Buffy's stomach tremble in a kind of sweet, intoxicating fear.

"Nothing's wrong," Faith smiled, completely at ease and in control. "Just turn around."

Buffy complied eagerly, and felt Faith's soft warm breath on her neck immediately. Gentle hands fumbled with the catch of her bra and Buffy caught her breath and leaned forward to click the lock on the bathroom door.

"Just in case," She breathed quietly, and she heard a murmured sound of acknowledgement from the girl behind her. Faith's soft hands rested on Buffy's shoulders and then slid her bra off with a slow lingering gesture, with no hint of haste.

"How does your skin stay so smooth?" Faith wondered aloud, trailing her fingers over Buffy's bare back, shoulders and arms. "All that killing, all that brutality, but your skin is amazing. It's so soft." 

Buffy ducked her head downwards and smiled. Faith sounded like a child with a new toy. Every aspect of the experience was new and enrapturing, and Buffy wondered if she was the first woman Faith had felt like that with. She didn't have to ask. She already knew the answer.

Faith's exploring hands found their way around Buffy's waist again, and soon she managed to slide off Buffy's denim jeans with only a small amount of clumsiness. She made a small noise of satisfaction at the sight of Buffy now almost as naked as she was, making Buffy giggle again.

She turned, and Faith inhaled.

Their eyes met and sparked. All thoughts of delay, of savouring the moment, were cast aside, and Faith possessively grabbed Buffy's hips, drawing her body up, and allowing the blonde to wrap both legs around Faith's waist. Their mouths met again, lips parting, tongues tracing intimate paths around each other.

Both girls were breathing quickly, as out of breath as when they were patrolling. Faith turned and leaned the clinging blonde against the wall mirror, her bare skin pressing on the cool glass. Buffy threw her head back, her face knotted in painful pleasure as Faith went to work.

They'd waited for so long. In Boston, at the Helix, Buffy had first thought of having Faith like this, and now she was here, out of breath and in love, feeling drunk on the moment. Slipping, sliding down the mirror, she knew that nothing could separate them now.

"Bedroom" Faith asked breathlessly.

Buffy looked at her blankly, almost not really understanding what was being asked.  Her mind finally caught up with what was being said and she nodded, sliding down Faith's body, placing her shaky legs back on the ground.  Faith grabbed Buffy by the hand and silently the two girls slipped into Buffy's bedroom.

----

We ain't writing the next bit…if you can't imagine it, then that ain't our problem. ;)  There's this whole blushing problem…. ;)

S&K.


	20. Morning After

CHAPTER TWENTY:  MORNING AFTER

(Sarah's got a weird eye twitch…reckon it could be to do with…well, who knows what, but…"Faith!". K.)

Warm early morning light from the venetian blinds played over Faith's brown body like pale stripes. They marked the pages of flesh written upon the night before by the blonde girl who lay beside her, eyes fluttering between the land of dreams and the waking day.

Faith's heavy lids opened. She was thirsty. She reached across and as her palm cupped the glass of water that stood on the bedside table, she realised where she was. Her instinctual reach for water was waylaid as she turned her head and saw Buffy's sleeping body beside her. She bit the side of her mouth, and then sipped from the glass. In Buffy's bed…this was strange new territory.

She watched her sleep, enjoying the opportunity to think before choosing her first words to the girl who would soon wake. They were important, first words. Within the phrase she elected to use lay much of the weight and potential of the future of their relationship. First words were unpredictable; they could elate or crush. She cocked her head to the side, and reached out to stroke the sleepy girl's brow that was softened with sleep.

"Good morning Buffy," Faith said softly, watching as those hazel eyes slowly opened. She grinned at herself. So formal… addressing Buffy as though she was a teacher or a child. She ignored herself and focused instead on Buffy's steady gaze. 

"Hey," Buffy returned. The blonde Slayer was watching her. Like she watched her opponents. Every flexing sinew in Faith's body was accounted for by Buffy's eyes. And although her gaze was almost invasive, Faith didn't flinch from it, nor did she shift her own eyes. Instead she lay back down, resting her head on the pillow and facing Buffy, who rolled so she too lay on her side. 

Their faces were only inches apart. 

The silent tension between them had carried over from the night before. It was a mixture of sweetness but also uncertainty. This was new ground for both of them to break. Buffy's only other experience had ended in heartbreak and pain, awakening to find her lover gone from the bed, and then discovering that he'd turned evil. Faith had always been the one leaving a cold empty place next to a slumbering body. So now, both were unprepared for what would happen next. 

"So…" Buffy said casually. She was almost surprised that she'd used such a cliché ice-breaker but was quickly relieved when the dark haired Slayer echoed her words. 

"So…" 

The girls stared at each other in unfaltering silence. Neither knew what to say. After what they'd shared the night before this sudden freeze in conversation seemed almost ludicrous. Buffy had made parts of Faith do…things, that she'd never experienced before. They'd been close, breath on flesh. But now that their bodies had stilled, they had drawn back from each other. And neither knew what to say at all. 

Finally Faith broke the silence.

"I'm thinkin' I wanna train with Giles for a while," the raven haired girl said with a smirk.

Buffy was caught off-guard by the randomness of the comment. 

"Uh, yeah…why?" She asked, puzzled but grinning.

"Cos, _fuck_, B, how do you bend like that?"

Both of them collapsed into childish laughter. Buffy gasped with giggles and punched Faith in the arm. Faith mock recoiled in dramatic pain, and the laughter intensified. Both of them were silently thanking the other for the levity provided by the moment.

Buffy had a thousand questions. She didn't want to fulfil a morning after cliché, but she was aching to know where things were headed now for them. There was so much uncertainty, even in a certain thing, and she liked the black and white of slaying in comparison to the grey of relationships. She needed definition. She needed control.

Faith pre-empted her question.

"I'm thinkin' we're okay, Buff. I'm not gonna run off with some other…other, and I'm sticking around. With you. And I'm glad about what happened last night, and yes, I'm feeling very soul-full this morning, and yes, I…y'know…kinda…"

"Kinda what?" Buffy asked. She wanted her to say it. 

"Oh, y'know…" 

Buffy leaned over the dark haired slayer's body, their shoulders brushing. She reached her arm across Faith's chest, resting her smaller torso on Faith's. She looked up into her eyes, slightly brushing her lips against Faiths, making the dark haired girl lean forward, but then pulled her head away.

"Kinda…what? Kinda feel like a soda? Kinda have cold toes? Kinda wanna go to the mall?" Buffy was teasing, and she knew it. But it was merciless fun. You couldn't toy with vamps. It was plunge and move on. But this game…she _liked _this game.

Faith knew Buffy was evoking far too much pleasure from toying with her. But she would only be the prey for so long. 

Faith grabbed Buffy's shoulders with two strong hands and flipped Buffy roughly onto her Back, grinning when the blonde girl squealed in surprise.

"Kinda love you," she said with a grin, pressing Buffy's shoulders into the sheets.  

Buffy grinned.  She'd known what Faith had wanted to say, but hearing it was ten times better than just knowing.  Moving quickly, Buffy dislodged Faith's grip on her shoulders, brought her own arms around Faith's neck and pulled the taller girl down, kissing her with force, not that Faith minded of course… 

"Well that works quite nicely," Buffy replied quietly as they broke their kiss.  "Cos I kinda love you too."

Faith felt herself practically melt.  She was definitely in deep smit.  She was grinning like an idiot, but found that she didn't really care.  Even when she'd been having her monogamous relationship with Jamie, she'd never felt even half of what she was now feeling with Buffy.  It was a nice change from the emptiness that she was usually left with in the mornings after.

Buffy sighed and circled her arms around Faith's neck, alternatively running her left and right hand up and down her spine. Faith's body stiffened, and Buffy felt her skin break out into little goosebumps. 

"Stop it…" Faith said quietly, almost plaintively.

Buffy grinned. "You want me to stop?" 

"Yes, I mean – No….I mean….Oh holy fuck," Faith swore, her eternal last resort when she had nought else to say.

"Well, I have been likened to a deity in my time, but never-" Buffy's words were stopped short by hands. In bad naughty places. 

Faith was the one to giggle now. She rarely giggled, but when she did, it was always for a good cause. And being able to silence Buffy Summers with large amounts of painful pleasure was as good a cause as any to giggle.

"Oh…my….oh…God…."

"You know, you _can_ call me Faith when we're in bed…." Faith grinned. She liked this new kind of revenge. It was fun for both of them.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs sent what seemed to be an electric shock through Buffy's body. She pushed Faith – and her hands- away from her so that she was able to leap from the bed and to the door to double check that it was locked. It was. She turned to look back at Faith who was stretched nonchalantly out on the bed with her ankles crossed, and her hands curled behind her head, grinning. 

"You think this is sooo funny," Buffy grinned and shook her head. She whirled around when she heard Joyce's voice at the door.

"Honey, I'm making eggs for breakfast. Do you want some?"

"Uh….sure Mom. Two is fine…and uh…toast too, I guess," Buffy replied, in what she hoped was a plausible 'I've just woken up and there is no possibility that there is a naked girl in my bed' voice. 

"Alright honey. And have you seen Faith? I checked her room but her bed's still made…did she go out again after I left?" Joyce asked in her usual, uncertain motherly way.

"Uh…no, no. We were up late last night eating…marshmallows and uh…talking about, you know, slayer stuff. And boys. There was lots of talk about the boys," Buffy clamoured to create an excuse that was plausible. She failed miserably and Faith sniggered.

Faith stood and walked slowly over to Buffy, pressing against her back and circling her arms around her waist. She grinned and wondered how far she could push Buffy's self control as the mother and daughter continued their door-blocked conversation.  She began lightly kissing Buffy's neck, Buffy leaning away to give Faith better access as one of Faith's hands wandered up and the other continued lower.

"Oh. Hello Faith! Uh…well when you girls are dressed and ready to eat you can come on down for breakfast."

"Uh yeah Mom, we should be…oh….down shortly…Oh!….we'll be coming in a minute…" Buffy was now pressed against the door. She cursed Faith very, very quietly under her breath.

"Are you okay, honey?" 

Buffy turned her head just slightly, glaring at Faith with a smile on her lips. Faith leaned her head around so that they could kiss.

"Honey?" 

Buffy knew she should answer. She would, she just had to…

"Uh…Buffy is everything all-right in there?"

Buffy broke out of the kiss and breathily replied through the door, both hands pressed against the white painted surface.

"S'all good Mrs S," Faith replied as Buffy fought to catch her breath.  "Buffy's just in the closet-" Buffy shot a glare at her girlfriend as Faith just grinned unrepentantly.  "-picking out clothes.  We'll be going down in a minute."

"Alright…if you're sure."

"We are," Faith assured her.

They listened as Joyce walked back down the stairs.  Buffy turned to glare at Faith who couldn't keep the grin off her face.

"Are you sure you didn't wake up evil?" Buffy asked.

Faith just grinned and lifted Buffy up, dragging her over to the bed.  Buffy yelped as Faith practically threw her onto the mattress.  With the air of a predator, Faith crawled over to Buffy, leaning most of her weight on her fists. 

"Now…we promised your mom that we'd be coming down any minute, and…well, I've decided to be a girl of my word, so…we're just gonna have to keep that promise."

-----

Many thanks for your reviews!!

S&K


	21. Meetings

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: MEETINGS

The Scoobies sat around the library, books in front of them, the majority of them pretending to research, while only Giles, Joanna, Wesley, Oz and Willow were actually doing anything even slightly productive.  Cordelia and Xander had volunteered to go on a pizza run, though they were running far later than they should have been.  No one was particularly worried about them though.  Buffy and Faith were sitting beside each other, their knees brushing against each other, as they stole glances every few seconds.  Whenever they managed to catch each other looking, they would smile, bite their lips in an effort not to start laughing, and force themselves to look away.  

Just as Buffy and Faith had once again caught each others gazes, they were distracted by Oz's short exclamation.

"Hey, woah."

Everyone turned to look at the quiet young man, wondering what had caused the sudden outburst.  Willow leant across to see what Oz was talking about.

"Hey, big hey woah," Willow commented.  In front of her was two photos of what looked to be the exact same person, except one had been taken over a hundred years earlier.  "Talk about 'like father like son'."

"How about 'like exact same guy, like exact same guy'," Oz corrected her.

Willow slid the two photographs over to Giles, who studied them closely.  Wesley, feeling that he had more of a right to look at them than Giles did, took them forcefully.  Giles contained the urge to roll his eyes.

"Mayor Wilkins is over one hundred years old.  He's not human," Wesley said with an air of authority.

Buffy and Faith shared a glance.  Buffy turned her attention to Wesley, one eyebrow raised.

"Gee, what gave it away?" she asked sarcastically.

Wesley just glared at her and looked once more at the photographs. 

"So…is he immortal?  A demon?  He can't be a vampire, we've seen him in the sunlight," Willow commented.

"My first guess would be immortal," Giles replied.  

"Which puts him in the not-human category," Buffy noticed.  "Which means that Faith and I can kill him.  I mean, he's kinda extremely evil right?"

"Evil or no, he's still rather high profile," Wesley said, looking down his nose at the blonde Slayer.  Buffy just rolled her eyes.  "Which would mean, that, no…killing him wouldn't be the best of plans at this particular juncture."

Faith stared at the inept Watcher incredulously.  "What, you want us to wait until he ascends?  Cos, I'm thinking that's not the brightest of plans."

"I second that," Oz commented.  

Willow and Buffy both nodded their agreement.  

"I never thought I'd say this, but Wesley is right," Giles said.

The Scoobies turned to look at Giles, all of them showing their shock.  Giles removed his glasses, feeling slightly flustered.  He wiped the lenses on a handkerchief before replacing them on his face.

"If we attack the Mayor and kill him, we'd be risking being caught by police," Giles explained.  "And an incarcerated Slayer wouldn't be good for anyone."

"I second that," Buffy said quietly taking hold of Faith's hand.  

"So what are we meant to do?" Willow asked, a distinct note of nervousness in her voice.

It was at that moment that Xander and Cordelia walked back into the library, each of them holding several boxes of pizza as well as a few bottles of soda.  

"Well, we could tell the entire town that the Mayor's evil and have them all try and kill him with flame throwers," Xander quipped.

The Scoobies and the Watchers all turned to look at Xander.  

"Or in the alternative…how 'bout we don't?" Faith replied dryly.

Xander shrugged and put the pizza in front of everybody, Joanna frantically scrambling to move the books and ancient tomes before any grease could stain the priceless volumes.  Faith glared at her Watcher as she took in the very unsubtle move.

"Geez, I spill a can of soda over one of your ancient prophecies _one time_, and I'm forever labelled as a menace to society," Faith said.

"You were just bloody lucky that we'd already translated the most important portion of that prophecy Faith," Joanna replied, her voice icy at the memory of Faith's mistake.

Faith just laughed a little.  "You always said that caffeine was the root of all evil."

Buffy and the other Scoobies smirked at the Watcher and Slayer's interaction, finding it endlessly fascinating.  

"It wasn't funny then, and it's not funny now," Joanna replied, a scowl firmly in place.

Faith just grinned, not even the slightest bit sorry about it.  "Yes it is."

The three Watchers looked somewhat outraged by Faith's comment.  Joanna looked to Buffy for help, but the blonde girl just smirked.  

"I'm with Faith on this one, sorry guys."

"There's a big surprise," Cordelia commented.

"Y'know, I wouldn't mind seeing you _with_ Faith on this, Buffster," Xander said with a grin.

The comment was met with the usual slap upside the head, the general rolling of the eyes, and the all around silence after the lewd comment.

Wesley cleared his throat uncomfortably.  "Perhaps we should get back to the matter at hand."

"He's right," Faith said.  She just shrugged at the questioning glances of the Scoobies.  "Pizza!"

------------------------

Buffy shifted uncomfortably from her hiding spot outside City Hall.  She and Faith were on a re-con mission that Wesley had decreed was absolutely necessary.  Faith was getting restless, and a restless Slayer was never a good thing.

"What are we doing here again?" Faith asked quietly.

Buffy rolled her eyes, marvelling at the attention span of her girlfriend.

"Were you even listening during that meeting?" Buffy asked with a grin.

"Is it my fault that I'm easily distracted?" 

"You're like a five-year-old with ADD."

Faith hit Buffy's upper arm playfully, and was about to pull her girlfriend (again, she mentally rejoiced…) but was stopped by Buffy suddenly tensing completely.  Faith knew enough about Buffy to know that she'd just gone into full Slayer mode.  Faith turned her attention back to the mission at hand.

Willow had hacked into the Mayor's files and had discovered that a delivery was to be made to City Hall that very evening.  They weren't certain what it was going to be, just that it had been difficult to access those particular files, which in turn led to much suspicion.  The Chosen Two were to try and discover what exactly the delivery was, and try to intercept it if it was at all possible.

A limousine pulled up in front of City Hall, and the two Slayers watched quietly as two vampires emerged holding a large box.  Buffy and Faith exchanged a silent glance before leaping out from their hiding spots and heading the vampires off before they could get into the building.  Faith attacked the first vampire, who was definitely not a fledgling.  The vampire could actually fight, and would have given Faith a run for her money if she hadn't been so keyed up.

The second vampire, the one with the box, was less eager to get into a fight with Buffy.  He kept the box in his hands as he tried to fend off Buffy's attack, except it was hard for him to counter-attack when he was so weighed down.  Eventually, in his anger, he cast the box aside and gave his all to the fight.

Both Slayers ducked, punched, dodged and fought to the best of their abilities, quickly overcoming their two vampiric foes.  With the two vampires suddenly back to back, Buffy and Faith simultaneously staked their victims.  They grinned at each other through the settling dust and exchanged a high-five.

"Synchronised slaying," Buffy commented.

"New Olympic category," Faith agreed.  She pulled Buffy towards her and kissed her, running her hands along the blonde girls back.  Buffy lost herself in the moment, forgetting what they'd come to City Hall for.  She sighed happily, but eventually pulled away as oxygen became an issue.

Faith reached her hand up to touch Buffy's hair, tucking a strand of it behind Buffy's ear.  Buffy smiled softly at the taller girl and leant towards her for another kiss.  Faith was only too happy to oblige.  They reluctantly pulled apart completely and Buffy turned away to grab the box, thankful that it hadn't gone missing in the aftermath of the fight.

"C'mon, let's get this back to Giles."

------------------------

Giles, Wesley and Joanna stared at the large box that rested on the library desk, each of them with equally intrigued expressions on their faces.  Wesley was flicking through books, making annoying 'hmmm' noises every few seconds, causing the other two Watchers and the Scoobies (minus Cordelia, who had left an hour earlier, too bored to actually stay and help) to roll their eyes and suppress the urge to choke the man.

"Eureka!" Wesley yelled, pushing his chair back and standing up in his excitement.

"He actually says 'eureka'?" Faith asked incredulously.

Buffy just shrugged and looked expectantly at Wesley.  "Any particular reason you've gone all Archimedes on us?"

Giles looked at his Slayer in shock.  "You know who Archimedes is?"

Buffy glared at him.  "I don't sleep through _all_ my classes y'know."

"I thought that you got that from that show on the Cartoon Network we were watching the other week," Xander said, looking confused.

Buffy kicked his shins under the table.  "You're meant to be on _my_ side."

Giles smirked knowingly and turned the focus of the conversation back to Wesley.  "What did you discover?"

"It's called the Box of Gavrok," Wesley explained, drawing himself up to his proper height.  He glanced over the text again and paled significantly.  "Good Lord."

"I hate when they say that," Xander commented dryly.  

"Contained within the box are approximately fifty or so billion creatures known as Arachnoxias.  Creatures with the physical appearance of spiders, only larger.  They are capable of killing a human being in less than ten seconds.  They eat flesh and are incredibly aggressive.  They move with immense speed and if just one was to be released, it would be the end of us all," Wesley said.  

They sat in silence for a moment, taking in what Wesley had said.

"So, that would be a 'no' vote to opening Pandora's Box," Oz said quietly.

"Rather unanimously I should think," Giles replied.

"So why does the Mayor need the box?  Cos…spiders…ugh," Willow shuddered.

"Well, according to this," Wesley began, pointing back at the book in front of him, "it indicates that in order to fully ascend, it would be imperative to ingest at least a dozen of the creatures contained within the box.  Without this ritual, the Ascension would be null and void."

"Wait, wait…ingest?  As in eat the spiders?" Faith asked, scrunching her nose in disgust.  "That's wicked gross."

"Alright, so…obvious question…how do we destroy it?" Buffy asked.

"Well, it's not just physically.  It has to be done ritually as well, with some down and dirty black magic," Willow explained.  A smile came to her face at the thought of being able to perform magic to help the group out.  She liked being able to do more than just float pencils.

"Hang on, we don't know what such a ritual would require," Wesley said, looking disapprovingly at the Scoobies.  He really didn't like the way they raced into plans without giving them proper thought.

"I think the Breath of the Atropyx is fairly standard for this sort of thing," Giles said quickly, a small smile of satisfaction creeping onto his face at being able to get one up on Wesley.  He flipped through his book of Dark Rituals and passed it to Xander.  "Fairly simple recipe.  Xander?" 

"I know…I'm ingredient getting guy," Xander said taking the book and looking through it.

"Faith and Buffy should stay here," Joanna said.  "Just in case any of the Mayor's lackeys decide to try and get it back."

Giles nodded his agreement and looked at Oz and Willow.  "Perhaps the two of you could escort Xander to the Magic Store.  Safety in numbers and all that."

Willow and Oz nodded and stood up, shrugging into their jackets.  "I'll drive," Oz said as the trio walked out of the library.

The Watchers turned back to their books.  Buffy and Faith couldn't help but grin when all three Watchers picked up their teacups at exactly the same time.  

"How did we get stuck with the Brit brigade?" Faith whispered.

"Dunno.  Think they'd notice if we found a corner behind the stacks?"

Faith grinned at the question and looked at the Watchers who were thoroughly engrossed in their reading.  She hesitated a moment longer before grabbing Buffy by the hand and racing up the stairs.

----

Many thanks for your reviews!  Keep 'em coming!

S&K.


	22. Dark Rituals

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: DARK RITUALS

For quite possibly the first time in two and a half years, the library was completely silent even though the entire Scooby Gang was there.  The lights were dimmed and the only light was coming from the bright blue flame in the ceramic pot on a pedestal that they'd set up for the ritual.  The silence didn't last that long though. 

"This is kinda exciting," Faith whispered to Buffy.  They were standing in front of the table, the Scooibies seated behind them, all of them watching as Giles and Joanna completed the ritual, with Wesley standing in the background, arms folded in annoyance at being left out.

Buffy couldn't help but smile at Faith.  She brought a single finger up to Faith's lips to silence her.  Faith couldn't help but dart her tongue out to lick Buffy's finger.  The blonde Slayer glared and took her finger from Faith's mouth.

"You're so gross," Buffy whispered.

Faith leant closer to her girlfriend.  "You weren't complaining about my tongue last night," she breathed.

Buffy felt herself flush bright red and was thankful that the lights were dimmed.  She glared at Faith who just grinned mischievously.  Faith moved them back so that they were leaning against the table, Faith's arm draped around Buffy's waist, one hand on Buffy's hip, gently tracing small indiscernible patterns on the slight amount of skin that was bared between Buffy's shirt and her jeans.

"Faith," Buffy whispered, half in protest, half in pleading.  

Willow couldn't help but notice the two Slayers had moved back slightly.  She flushed when she saw the intimate position and turned her attention back to the ritual.  She was annoyed that Giles had insisted that he and Joanna be the ones to complete it.  Something about them having done the same spell while they were studying at the Watcher's Academy together.  It was all very cliquey and Willow couldn't help but think that there was more history between Giles and Joanna than they'd let on.

Joanna began to mutter several low incantations in Latin which were unintelligible to most of the group, but which Willow strained forwards to hear. She wanted desperately to be a part of the proceedings. 

"D'ya think that's maybe…pig latin?" Xander whispered, leaning over so that only Willow could hear him. Willow returned his comment with nothing but a glare. 

Oz sat next to Willow with his palm resting lightly on her leg. She leaned against him, seeking comfort from the general irritation that was rising inside of her. He felt her move against him and accommodated by bringing his arm around her shoulder.

"Kinda wanting in with the spell, huh?" Oz asked.

"Yuh-huh. I'm more than just a brain you know…I can do spells and stuff now too…but _no_…as soon as some…qualified school-chum breezes in, it's all 'Oh good Willow, you just go float your pencils now'," Willow said poutily. She didn't like sounding like this, but she was getting a little tired of being seen as an amateur by Giles. She had nothing personal against Joanna, it was just that the Watcher was between her and potential magic playtime.

"I know," Oz reassured her gently, squeezing her shoulder. "Maybe they'll need you for something magicky later." 

"I guess," Willow sighed.

She was momentarily distracted by Xander who nudged her leg and grinned in the direction of the Slayers who were still doing their best to distract each other from the task at hand. They were doing a painfully bad job at hiding their flirtation. 

"These two sure know how to make with the black magic themselves, huh Will?" Xander said suggestively. Willow rolled her eyes but giggled softly.

"You're such a guy, Xand," Willow said. 

"Really? Phew that's a relief 'cos for a while there I was seriously worried that I'd been destined for a career as a eunuch and no one had bothered to tell me," Xander said, a little too loudly.

Giles turned sharply towards Xander. "In case the Latin and the essence of toad hadn't quite tipped you off Xander, we are trying to perform a spell here. A little silence would be beneficial to the success of said spell. So unless you _do_ fancy a startlingly sudden career as a eunuch, I'd suggest you cease your infernal blathering," Giles said, cleaning his glasses and sighing as he finished speaking.

"Quite," Joanna murmured in distracted agreement, as she leaned over the aptly named book of Dark Rituals.

She sprinkled the twice-blessed sage in the ceramic pot around which they all stood. Something sparked and exploded in a small burst of purple flame. 

"Well that's some progress I think," Joanna said with satisfaction, stretching her shoulders and then turning the page of the book. In a few incantations time the box would be de-beastied and could be safely destroyed. 

Joanna stared at the page. Damn. They were missing Romanian bloodwort and without it the spell couldn't be completed. Joanna tugged on her left earlobe. Faith cocked her head to the side.

"What's the matter Jo?" Faith asked. 

"Blast and damn. Romanian bloodwort's the matter. It's absent from this box of ingredients," She said worriedly.

Giles and Wesley immediately turned to glare at Xander.  The teenager shifted uncomfortably.  He was fairly certain that they'd picked up all of the ingredients that had been on the list.  He'd known how important the ritual was, and he'd been more careful than usual.

"It could have dropped out of the box on the way back from the store," Xander offered. He prepared himself to be blamed.

"Wait up guys," Willow said in excitement, leaning down to fumble in her bag, which sat at her feet. She pulled something small, brown and withered in a plastic snaplock bag from her backpack, and in her hurry to straighten up, banged her head on the underside of the table. 

"I've got some…ow….Romanian…gee that hurt…Romanian bloodwort," Willow said, grimacing as Oz comfortingly rubbed her head.

Joanna smiled thankfully and nodded in appreciation at Willow, taking the bloodwort from the redhead's hand. She crushed the leaves into the ceramic pot, and muttered a string of Latin words. Pulling on a pair of polka dotted oven mittens she grasped the ceramic pot firmly and poured the contents all over the box of Gavrok. There was a high-pitched screech of collective death and a bright flash of orange light surrounding the box. Then it was quiet.

"Done! Good show, Willow. I see all the good things Rupert has been telling me about your developing knowledge of magic were not unfounded," Joanna said.

Willow grinned. Giles had said she knew stuff? She knew she was smiling like a kid, but the fact that he had praised her to the other Watcher had made all of her previous irritation die away. She turned and grinned at Oz. He nodded and half smiled, picking up the happy vibe that was radiating from Willow.

"So," Buffy interjected abruptly, aware that she'd been slightly distracted for the last half hour or so. "We're all good to go to destroy the Gravox now?" 

"The Box of Gavrok. And yes, we can destroy it. But there's really no need to. The creatures inside the box have been destroyed, so it's been rendered harmless. It's now no more threatening than that box of animal crackers over there," Joanna said, pointing at the biscuits that had fallen out of Willow's bag.

"I dunno…they're pretty high in calories," Oz quipped. Willow grinned.

"So what're we going to do with it then?" Buffy said, disentangling her arms from Faith and walking around to get a better look at the now spider-less box.

"Could make a decent jewellery box B," Faith said, grinning. "Save money on a Christmas gift for Joyce." 

"How about not," Buffy said, rolling her eyes at Faith. "I don't think my Mom would quite appreciate the sentiment. 'Hey Mom, here's an ex-tool-for-world-domination I got you'." 

Wesley spoke for the first time since the ritual had begun. Giles and Joanna had managed to irritate him to the point that he had resorted to quietly sulking at the lack of respect he was receiving from the Scoobies and the Watchers. However he seemed to have recovered from his stint of humane silence and straightened his tie as he spoke.

"Right. Frivolity aside, I think it is now time to consider the implications of removing the tool the Mayor hoped to use to ascend. For instance, we may have made ourselves a target for revenge," Wesley said gravely.

Buffy snorted. "Hello? Slayers here. Always a target." 

Faith laughed but then walked to stand beside the blonde Slayer, a serious expression on her face.

"He has a point though, B. The Mayor is gonna be wicked mad that we've stolen his toy and zapped it," Faith said. She slid one arm around Buffy's waist, semi-protectively, but also just missing the warmth of her body.

"I suggest that we play it safe for tonight," Giles said firmly. "Willow, Xander, Oz, stay at home tonight. Faith and Buffy, patrol but stay together and stay alert."

"Hear that you two? That means no smoochies!" Xander said, shaking a finger at the girls. 

Buffy just pouted.  "Spoil our fun."

-----

Many thanks for your feedback!

S&K


	23. Confessions

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: CONFESSIONS

Ever since Joyce had discovered that Buffy was the Slayer, she'd tried to be far more observant when it came to anything regarding her daughter.  She'd become even more observant now that Faith had begun living in the Summers household, suddenly having two Slayers to worry about.  She'd been noticing the strange behaviour between Faith and Buffy and had passed it off merely as the two girls becoming closer as friends.

She hadn't missed Buffy's very odd reaction when she'd suggested that Buffy and Faith were almost like sisters, but she'd refrained from calling Buffy on it, not certain that she particularly wanted to know the answer to her question.  She'd noticed that Faith's bed in the spare room was very seldom slept in, unless Faith had a strange habit of waking up early and making the bed immaculately, which, if she knew Faith, was very unlikely.

Joyce walked into her daughter's room, a washing basket resting on her hip.  She sighed softly, wishing that her daughter could be a little neater than she was.  There were clothes and weapons strewn across the floor.  She spotted Mr Gordo lying on the floor in a corner.  She leaned down to pick up the neglected stuffed pig and turned her head to peer under Buffy's bed, not particularly surprised by the clothes that had accumulated beneath it.

Placing the washing basket on the floor, she knelt down to try and reach beneath the bed to collect the clothes.  Out of habit, Joyce looked over the material, searching for blood or holes.  As much as she didn't like knowing that Buffy was hurt during patrols, she couldn't help but be concerned.  Her fingers traced over the design on the red singlet top in her hands, outlining the black dragon.  Her brows knitted together in confusion.  She'd never seen her daughter in anything like that.  In fact, she was fairly certain she'd seen Faith wearing that particular top only two days before.

Joyce noticed a black mark on the tag of the top, and her curiousity got the better of her.  Holding it between thumb and forefinger, she raised both eyebrows as she read the letters FK in black permanent marker.

She didn't know which disturbed her more, the fact that _Faith_ of all peoplehad her initials on her clothing, or that Faith's clothing was under Buffy's bed.

As a Sunnydale resident, her first instinct was set to DENY, DENY!  She quickly conjured several other alternative ways that Faith's clothing could have found a way beneath Buffy's bed.  Perhaps an injury during a patrol, or Buffy deciding that she suddenly liked dragons and wanting to borrow the top, or a quick simultaneous change before patrol where Faith had needed to borrow something of Buffy's.  

She placed the singlet into the basket, along with a few items of Buffy's clothing that she recognised.  She came to a pair of dark-blue denim jeans that were undoubtedly Faith's.  They were too long for Buffy, and slightly larger at the waist.  They had the trademark initials written on their tag as well.  

Shaking her head slightly, she finished picking up her daughter's (and Faith's) clothing, becoming more and more concerned by the sheer amount of items that had been initialled and spread across Buffy's floor.  She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.  She stood and slowly made her way downstairs just as the door opened and Buffy, Faith, Willow and Xander made their way inside, Xander mid-sentence.

"Buffy, tell your girlfriend that I'm not a pervert!  I'm just a healthy American male who can appreciate the wonders of two beautiful girls kissing on the footpath," Xander said loudly.

"Didn't mean you had to stare X," Faith argued.

A loud bang startled the group, and they looked up to the staircase.  The clothesbasket tumbled down the stairs, clothes flying across the floor.  Buffy and Faith both simultaneously went very pale shades of white.  The Scoobies all took in the sight of Joyce Summers staring down at the group open-mouthed and wide-eyed with shock.  She put a hand out to steady herself on the banister.

"Staring at those _other_ girls that were not know to us.  Or affiliated with us.  At all.  In any way," Willow rambled, seeing the complete horror on her best friend's face, and the foregone conclusion that Joyce Summers had reached.  "And…and that girlfriend comment…well, Buffy and I call each other that all the time.  It's…just slang.  Scooby slang.  Cos…well, we're hip.  Yo!  And uh…well…I've actually run out of things to say, which…wow, that's just such a first for me when you think about it, cos…babbling.  So…I'll uh…stop.  Yes, stop.  This is me…in all my stoppyness."

Willow fell silent and the group stood awkwardly with the tension hanging thickly in the air.  Xander and Willow exchanged helpless glances, wishing they could take back both of their statements.  They should have been more careful with their teasing.

"Well," Xander said loudly, clapping his hands together to break the silence.  "Willow and I have…that thing.  So…we're gonna go."

Buffy turned to look at her two best friends, a completely panicked look on her face.  They'd got her into this mess, and they didn't even have the decency to stick around to get her out of it.  Xander grabbed Willow's wrist and forcefully pulled her out of the Summers house, closing the door behind them.

Buffy turned back to face her mother who was still clutching the banister.  

"Should I be here for this?" Faith whispered quietly.  She was seriously hoping that Buffy said no.

"Uh…I think mom and I should probably talk alone for a bit," Buffy replied.

Faith nodded and reached across to squeeze Buffy's hand comfortingly.  Buffy gave her a small smile and watched as her lover walked up the stairs, passed a shell-shocked Joyce and disappeared around the corner.

"Mom?" Buffy asked quietly.

There was a sick feeling rising within her chest.  She'd been wanting to talk to her mother about this ever since she'd come back from Boston, but had never been brave enough to broach the topic.  Now she'd been shoved into the deep end of the pool headfirst and had no choice but to sink or swim.  There were so many different ways that Joyce could take the news, and even though she'd told Willow that shed hoped her mother would be alright with it, her biggest worry was that Joyce would react as badly as she had when she'd discovered that Buffy was the Slayer.

Joyce finally snapped out of her trance-like state.  She let go of the banister and slowly walked down the stairs, surprised by how shaky she was.  Even though she'd seen the signs and cleaned her daughter's room, it was a completely different thing to have the truth shoved in her face in such a blunt way.

Joyce silently led her daughter into the living room, Buffy following quietly behind her.  Joyce sat down, and watched as Buffy delicately perched herself on the edge of the couch, her hands on her lap.  

"Is uh…is what Xander said true?" Joyce asked.

Buffy swallowed hard and forced herself to meet her mother's eyes, unsure of what she could see within their blue depths.  

"The uh…part about Faith and I being girlfriends, or the part about us kissing on the footpath?" Buffy asked, hoping for a small amount of levity.  "Cos uh…well…yeah.  It's true.  Both parts"

Joyce nodded and fell silent once more.  Buffy could hear her heart pounding in her chest, feel her throat clenching with rising panic.  She'd disappointed her mother too many times to count, and she really didn't want to add this to her list.  She loved Faith, and she couldn't help but wonder what would happen if her mother asked her to choose between them.

"And uh…how long has this been…"

"Going on?" Buffy finished for Joyce.  "Well, officially since Faith came to Sunnydale.  So…about three weeks.  But…well, there's been something between us since we met."

"That's why you were so quiet after you first met her," Joyce said quietly.

Buffy nodded slightly and wiped her clammy hands on her pants.

"I…I was going to tell you," Buffy said quickly.  "I just…well, I didn't really know how to tell you that I was…"

"Gay?" 

Buffy shrugged slightly.  

"I…I thought that…with you and Angel," Joyce said, trailing off slightly.  She had never, and would never approve of Buffy and Angel together.  She knew that Angel's curse prevented them from being together physically, but she still didn't particularly like the idea of her daughter dating a vampire.  "I just…I didn't know that you were gay."

Buffy coughed, slightly uncomfortable.  She'd known that this conversation wasn't going to be easy and she hadn't been prepared to have it today.  She'd been hoping to work up to the topic with her mother, but her luck had always been severely lacking.

"Well, I uh…I'm not exactly _gay_ per say," Buffy said.  "I mean…I've never really…I haven't been attracted to other girls before.  And…I mean, if Faith and I were to break up or something, I don't exactly think that I would find another girl to be with.  I uh…well, it's not so much about Faith being a girl, y'know.  It's just…she's Faith, and…and I love her."

Joyce fell silent once more.  She didn't exactly know what to expect from her daughter, but it hadn't been that.  

"You…you love her?" Joyce asked. 

Buffy nodded without hesitation.  "I do.  I can't explain the how's and the why's, but…I love her.  And, whenever I'm around her…gods I can't explain it, but…I'm just crazy about her."

Joyce nodded and forced her mind to work through everything her daughter was saying.  She knew that she'd had less than brilliant reactions to her daughter in the past, and that if she reacted badly to this piece of news as well she could well lose her daughter for good.  She definitely did not want to do that again.

"Well…uh…Faith's…she's a nice girl Buffy," Joyce said awkwardly.

"You're wigging aren't you?" Buffy asked, slightly disappointed.  Even though she'd been expecting this reaction, it still hurt.

"Not…not exactly," Joyce replied.  "I'm just…stunned.  But…does she…does she make you happy?"

"Yeah mom…she does," Buffy replied honestly.  

"And are…are the two of you being…careful?" Joyce asked.

Buffy flushed bright red.  Not only was her mother asking her about any precautionary measures they'd been taking, but it was the older woman's subtle way of asking if she was sleeping with Faith.

"Yeah.  We're being careful," Buffy replied.  

Joyce nodded, thankful for the carefulness, but slightly shocked that her daughter was sleeping with another woman.  

"Mom, I know that this isn't exactly what you want for me," Buffy began quietly.  "And I know that you never expected it…I know I never did.  But…I love her.  And, I just…I really just want you to be happy for me mom.  I don't want you to hate me."

Joyce reached across to take one of Buffy's hands, squeezing it gently.  "I could never hate you honey," Joyce assured her.  "And…and if Faith makes you happy, then I'm happy for you."

Buffy felt the weight that had been pressing against her chest disappear.  A wide grin broke out on her face, and within the blink of an eye, the blonde Slayer had stood and pulled her mother into a tight hug.  Joyce couldn't help but laugh slightly at the enthusiasm of her daughter's reaction.  She hugged her daughter back, gently kissing Buffy's forehead.

"Love you mom," Buffy whispered.

"Love you too sweetie."

Buffy pulled back, grinned once more at her mom and bolted up the stairs, taking them three at a time.  She burst into her room to find Faith pacing the length of the floor.  The dark Slayer turned to look at Buffy, worried about what the outcome of the talk had been.

"What hap-"

Faith's question was cut off by Buffy flinging herself at Faith and kissing her deeply.  Faith grinned as Buffy pulled away, feeling herself finally able to breath easier.  She sighed happily and brought her hands to rest on Buffy's hips, pulling the smaller girl towards her.

"Good news huh?" Faith asked.

"The very best."

----

Awww, mush.

Many thanks for your feedback!

S&K.


	24. Revelations

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: REVELATIONS

Faith and Buffy lay on the carpet between the stacks in the library, Buffy with her eyes closed and Faith leaning on her side, one elbow up, hand cradling her head as she watched the exhausted Slayer doze. They'd been patrolling for longer than usual last night – due to an unexpected but sweaty stopover in a secluded crypt – and the blonde girl's face was drawn and pale from lack of sleep.

She liked the thing they had going. It was close, and comfortable. There was so much here that was of the good for Faith. The slaying and the sex were the two more energetic parts of their relationship, and since the first time they'd slept together the two girls had grown closer than Faith had thought she was able to be with anyone. But there was more between them, underlying all of their physical connections, and that was friendship. The understanding and humour that drew them together was what floored Faith the most. She'd never had that before. Buffy filled a place inside of her that she'd just assumed would ache forever. She secretly hoped that Buffy felt that too.

Faith reached out and gently kissed Buffy's shoulder. As the blonde Slayer's eyes opened, Faith leaned down and kissed her. Sometimes Buffy talked too much. Often she craved more silence between them. Silence could be filled with things other than words.  _Silence is the perfectest herald of joy.  I was but little happy if I could say how much._

Finally she released Buffy's mouth and the girl smiled, and licked her lips, something that surprised Faith. It was something the dark haired slayer knew she herself would do, but was almost out of character for Buffy.

"There's a taste I could wake up to more often," Buffy said softly, sidling her body on the floor closer to Faith's. 

Faith also moved closer so that their bodies were nestled against each other, and their breathing was almost in time. She closed her eyes and laid her head down, sighing as Buffy stroked her hair. She slid one warm hand up the back of Buffy's black singlet top, kissing the girl deeply and gently pushing her forwards with her hand that rested in the small of Buffy's back. She could lose herself in this moment. Clocks could freeze and Faith would remain here, happily unaware and surrounded by Buffy. Her hands, her face, her skin. Every sacred inch of her written with Faith's name.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the door to the library swing open and footsteps echo on the floor. One set of feet moved slowly and she recognised the click of high heels. The other steps were heavier but quick and sharp.

Voices. Wesley and Joanna, discussing something with fervour. She removed her hand from Buffy's top, eliciting a small sigh of disappointment form the girl in her arms. She grinned but craned her head over Buffy's shoulder so she could just see around the corner of the stack they were obscured by. She was able to see Wesley and Joanna standing in the middle of the library.

"I don't think it's a good idea. In fact, scratch that, I think it's a completely terrible idea. And there is no possible way myself, or Rupert for that matter, will allow you to do this," Joanna said angrily.

"What you desire and what Mr Giles wants are of no consequence here, Ms Braidwood. The issue at hand is the fact that Faith's Cruciamentum was contaminated by the presence of Ms Summers and therefore, invalid. The only thing to do is to conduct it once again. Now is the perfect time now that the threat of the Mayor has been resolved. With the Mayor no longer in Sunnydale, we can invest our efforts in administering her test again.  And if you and Faith are indeed planning on staying in Sunnydale, then I must be sure that Faith is capable of working alongside _my_ Slayer," Wesley said adamantly, his arms crossed.

Faith was shocked to feel Buffy's body stiffen in her arm as the word 'Cruciamentum' was mentioned. She couldn't quite see the expression on her face as she was resting her face close to Faith's neck. She couldn't help but wonder _why_ the word, which still remained a mystery at best for Faith, caused such a reaction, but she brushed the thought away and kept listening.

"Wesley, you forget yourself. You are not Faith's Watcher, nor do you have anything to say about her Cruciamentum that is of any relevance or value to me. Stay away from Faith." Joanna leaned in as she said this and Faith was surprised. The normally affable British woman was very rarely raised to anger.

"No, Ms Braidwood, it is you who forgets yourself. I have close ties with the Council and I am aware that they don't know that you concealed the truth about Faith's coming of age from her," Wesley said accusingly.

"They don't need to know that. What does it matter? It's not important anymore, and it's equally unimportant for Faith to know," Joanna said, her voice straining to stay at a speaking level. 

Wesley moved forwards, so that he was now almost invading Joanna's personal space. He leaned forwards, narrowed his eyes and said something which chilled Faith's bones.

"I understand that you care about Faith. But, as she is your Slayer, don't you think she deserves to know, and in keeping with tradition, has a _right_ to know, that _you_ drugged her, trapped her with two deadly vampires and that the girl she now has established a relationship with was involved?" 

Faith's body suddenly lost much of its warmth. She released Buffy from her grip, and rolled away from her. So that was why she'd been so weak and unable to slay around the time she'd met Buffy in Boston. This explained so much. Although she still had very little clue of what was going on, she instinctively knew that the girl in her arms had been keeping something from her. And it seemed like a hell of a something.

"Faith…" Buffy for once seemed to be lost for words. Her eyes were clouded with fear and panic at Faith's discovery. 

Buffy reached out to pull Faith towards her again, but Faith pushed her hands away and sat up, leaning against a stack and sitting cross-legged. 

The look of hurt and broken trust on Faith's face was almost more than Buffy could bear. She wished she could close her eyes and not see the consequences of the secret she'd been keeping. She knew Faith had put her confidence in the open honesty between them, and Buffy knew she'd betrayed that. Her stomach slowly twisted into knots of guilt and panic.

"Faith I…I was…." Buffy started falteringly.

"Going to tell me?" Faith challenged angrily. "Tell me what Buffy? Explain to me exactly what is going on here?" 

Buffy knew she had really upset Faith, because she'd failed to abbreviate her name to 'B' as she usually did. She cringed and tried to explain.

"It's complicated," she began, but was cut off by a sharp scoff from Faith.

"Don't coddle me. I'm a big girl. Just tell me the truth. Might make a nice change." Faith refrained from glaring at her lover, but it was all she felt like doing.

Buffy drew a deep breath. What she was about to say would only hurt Faith, but she was in too deep now to continue in her lie of omission.

"Okay. There's a test all Slayers go through when we reach eighteen, called the Cruciamentum.  Our Watchers drug us with this organic compound that takes away our strength.  We get sent to a house to defeat a vampire that the Council's locked into the house with us, and…if we survive we pass.  If we die, well...I guess that'd be failing," Buffy said quietly.  She knew that the truth of Faith's Watcher's involvement was going to make this even harder for Faith to hear, but Faith had asked for the truth.  

Faith looked at Buffy, trying to take in the words that she was being told.  She swallowed hard, trying to keep herself from stepping forward and hitting Buffy for keeping this from her.

"So…why didn't you tell me?" Faith asked.  "Cos I know I asked you about this before."

Buffy sighed and looked away from Faith's hurt brown eyes.

"Cos I didn't want you to go through what Giles and I went through after my Cruciamentum," Buffy replied.  "Cos it hurt knowing that the one person we're meant to be able to trust was the one who betrayed us like that."

Faith shook her head and stepped closer to Buffy, reaching out to grab Buffy's chin to force the shorter girl to look at her.

"That's where you're wrong B.  I trusted _you_.  I told you once that I've never trusted anyone my whole life, except you.  You think one more adult on the list of people who hurt me makes a difference?  Cos it doesn't.  I was meant to be able to trust _you_," Faith said forcefully.

"I know," Buffy whispered quietly, closing her eyes to try and block out the anger in Faith's eyes.  She took several deep breaths before opening her eyes and looking imploringly at her girlfriend.  "I know, and…I'm sorry Faith.  I made a mistake."

Faith regarded the older girl closely for a moment, still feeling sick and shocked by what she'd heard.  She shook head and took a step back from Buffy.

"Yeah.  You really did."

Without another word, she turned and quickly stalked down the stairs, passing by a shocked Wesley and Joanna.

"Faith-" Joanna tried, her eyes wide and horrified.  She hadn't meant for her Slayer to hear any of her conversation with Wesley.  

"Save it."

---

Many thanks for the reviews!!

S&K


	25. Resolutions

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: RESOLUTIONS

Faith ran all the way from the school to the Summers' home, rushing inside and up the stairs to the room that she shared with Buffy.  She pulled her duffel bag out from under the bed and began filling it with the clothes that were strewn across the floor as well as from the bottom two drawers of Buffy's dresser.  Tears stung at her eyes, making Faith even angrier, both at Buffy and at herself.  She knew that she'd had a reason for not letting people too close to her, and her theory obviously hadn't been unfounded.

She zipped the bag up and took another look around the room, hesitating when her eyes came to rest on the framed picture of herself and Buffy that had been taken only two weeks ago.  The Scoobies had organised a picnic, which at first Faith had thought was extremely lame, but had agreed to go to, mainly so that she could spend more time with Buffy.  She'd ended up having the time of her life.  Laughter hadn't been a factor for Faith when she'd been growing up, but since coming to Sunnydale, she'd smiled and laughed and loved.

She hesitated another moment before undoing the zip of her bag and stuffing the photo on top of her belongings.  Before she had the chance to close her bag once more, a soft voice startled her out of her thoughts.

"Faith?"

Faith turned to see Joyce Summer's worried face, the older woman lingering in the doorway.

"Mrs S."

"What are you doing?" Joyce asked.

Faith turned back to her bag and pulled the zipper closed.  She hadn't been counting on Joyce being at the house.

"Packin'," she replied casually.

"Yes, I can see that," Joyce replied, stepping further into the room.  "Can I ask why?"

"Yeah, why don't you ask Buffy that," Faith said.

Joyce looked at the young woman, surprised by the tears she could see welling in Faith's eyes.  In all the time that Joyce had known Faith, she'd never once seen the brunette Slayer cry.

"Did she ask you to leave?" Joyce asked, trying to get a clear idea of what exactly had happened between the two girls, who only that morning had woken Joyce up with their antics.

"Nope."

"Does she know you're leaving?"

"Nope."

"What happened between you two Faith?" Joyce asked, laying a motherly hand on Faith's shoulder.

Faith stiffened for a moment.  Her own mother had never touched her, unless it was out of anger.  Joanna never touched her unless it was during a training session, and her Watcher needed to show her a new move.  No person besides Buffy had ever touched her without there being an ulterior motive, and to have Joyce touching her now was exceedingly strange for the young Slayer.

"She lied to me," Faith answered quietly.

Joyce slowly took the bag from Faith's hands and placed it on the floor.  She gently manoeuvred them so that they were sitting on Buffy's bed, side-by-side.  She took hold of one of Faith's hands and squeezed it gently.

"Faith…I know that you're hurting," Joyce began softly.  "And I understand that you're upset, but…is it worth throwing your entire relationship away over this?"

"I _trusted_ her," Faith pushed.

Joyce nodded and brought her free hand up to run it gently through Faith's dark hair.  She gently cupped Faith's cheek and positioned herself so that she could look directly into Faith's eyes.

"She loves you Faith," Joyce assured the girl.  "I've never seen her like this with anyone else, so I know for a fact that she loves you.  And if I know my daughter, she probably lied to you to protect you.  Am I right?"

Faith sighed and thought about the question before nodding slowly. 

"Yeah."

"It still hurts though," Joyce said.

"I hate that it hurts like this," Faith whispered, nearing her breaking point.  "It's never hurt this bad before.  It's never hurt at all before this."

Joyce couldn't help the smile that came to her face, even amongst Faith's pain.  

"You've never been in love before, have you Faith?" 

"No," she admitted quietly.  

"Well, if there's something that I've learnt over the years, it's that love takes work.  It's hard, and it's painful, and it's everyday.  But it's worth it in the end," Joyce said quietly.  She'd explained this to Buffy once when her daughter had still been infatuated with Angel, and she knew that Buffy had drawn strength from it.  She could only hope that Faith would react in a similar way.

Faith sighed and wiped at her eyes.  Joyce couldn't help herself.  She pulled Faith closer and wrapped her arms around the young woman that her daughter loved so much.  The darker Slayer felt more tears leaking from her eyes as she was wrapped in the warmth and protection that was offered to her by her girlfriend's mother.  

It took nearly five minutes for Faith to regain her composure, her breathing going back to normal as Joyce rubbed comforting circles on her back.

"I don't want to lose her," Faith whispered, still clinging to Joyce tightly.

Joyce smiled and drew back to look Faith in the eye.  "So don't go."

Faith nodded slowly, and couldn't help but smile at the simple logic of it all.  She pulled Joyce back in for another tight hug.

"Thanks Mrs S," she whispered quietly.  "You're a helluva mom, you know that?"

"Only the best for my two Slayer daughters," Joyce replied.

Faith buried her face in Joyce's shoulder, letting herself revel in the feeling of having someone who had opened up her home to Faith and had allowed her to be in a real and loving relationship with their daughter.  Joyce had had no reason at all to let Faith stay, especially when the truth about her relationship with Buffy had come out, but Joyce had continued welcoming Faith into her home.  And now Faith was being told that she was considered family.

"Go find her, okay," Joyce whispered.

Faith nodded and fully pulled away from Joyce, once again wiping the tears from her face.  Joyce just watched in amusement, shaking her head with laughter as Faith ran from the room in search of Buffy.

Faith barely made it down the stairs before the door opened abruptly, Buffy entering.  The two Slayers froze for a moment, both of them losing their momentum at the unexpected meeting.

"B," Faith whispered.

"Faith."

Faith jumped the final four stairs and landed just in front of Buffy, the two of them staring at each other for seemingly endless moments.  As always it was Buffy who broke the silence.

"Faith, I am really, really, really sorry," she began, just knowing that her rambling apology was going to rival one of Willow's babble-fests.  "I never meant to hurt you, and I know that I _did_ hurt you, which makes me feel really, really crappy, and I never wanted for this to happen.  And I know that you probably aren't going to forgive me, cos I broke your trust, and I know that we're going to have to rebuild that trust, and I am willing to do absolutely anything to get that trust back, and-"

Faith stopped her suddenly, pressing a single finger to Buffy's lips.  The blonde stopped, desperately hoping that she hadn't completely ruined her relationship with Faith because of a lie that she'd basically forgotten about.

"B…" Faith started, "you're a bitch."

Buffy felt her heart sink.

"But I still love you," Faith continued, a smile appearing on her face.

Buffy sighed with relief, a weight lifting from her shoulders.  Faith moved forward, but stopped abruptly when she heard footsteps on the stairs.  Both girls looked up, turning slightly red at almost being caught by Joyce.

Buffy's mother just smirked at the girls and removed her coat from the hook next to the front door.

"Make sure you two behave yourselves," Joyce said, trying her hardest not to burst into a fit of laughter as she closed the door behind her.

Buffy watched her mother go, and then slowly turned back to face Faith. She anxiously tugged at the hem of her black singlet top, wondering where they would go from this point.

"I know…I know I did the wrong thing. But I really just…" Buffy coughed and blushed. 

"You really just what, B?" Faith teased. She knew perfectly well what the blonde girl wanted to say. 

"I really just wanna kiss you right now," Buffy said nervously. She knew she didn't deserve Faith's affection but she ached for it anyway.

Faith stepped forward and lightly grabbed Buffy's hand. She linked her fingers with Buffy's and looked into her eyes.

"So kiss me already." 

END

-----

So, that's it from us.  We are thinking of writing a sequel, but due to jobs and uni and going home for the holidays it may not be written for a while.  

Many thanks to everyone for your encouraging feedback!

Sarah & Kattie.


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